The Emperor's Love
by StarlightKat
Summary: Furihata never thought that Akashi would be in his life. They soon became friends and later developed feelings for each other, but with their personal problems it's difficult to express those feelings. Set after Winter Cup. AkaFuri only.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Yooo it's been like forever since I published a story. Anyways this is my very first KnB fanfiction! I really love this anime (even though I don't know anything about basketball) and it's sad to see the anime finish..*cries*.

Well this story is AkaFuri and there will be lots of it! So if you don't like this pairing then don't read it please! This story is T rated so there will be no sex scenes. There will be bad things happening in the future but nothing gruesome.

The inspiration to write this story literally just came to me today so I only had the first chapter planned out. I have random events that happen throughout the whole story but I need to come up with other events to make the story flow better. I'll have the 2nd chapter uploaded sometime this week. So until then I hope you enjoy this chapter! :) -Momo

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke! It belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi!

* * *

Outside in the chilly night the Seirin team gathered around.

"Good job guys for winning the Winter Cup! To celebrate this victory I decided to treat you all to dinner," Riko explained.

"What? She's got to be joking, right Hyuuga?" Koganei questioned.

"Shut up! You guys better be glad I'm spending my own money on you idiots!" Riko yelled ready to punch Koganei.

With the 2nd years bickering the 1st years huddled together sharing their excitement.

"Wow guys I still can't believe that we won the Winter Cup!" Fukuda beamed.

"Ha! Well you better believe it because we're the champions this season", boasted Kagami.

"Kagami-kun you shouldn't boast like that or you'll get jinxed," Kuroko pointed out calmly.

"Oi shut up! I know that you're just as excited as I am."

While Kuroko and Kagami were exchanging impolite words to each other, Kawahara suggested an idea to Fukuda and Furihata.

"Hey, after dinner with the team how about we go to my house and play games?"

"Ah yeah I like the idea of that!" Fukuda remarked.

"Yeah I'd love to do that," Furihata spoke, "Just let me call my mom to let her know I will be coming home late."

Furihata reached into his pocket to grab his phone only to find out it was empty. _Huh?_ Reaching into his other pocket, he discovered it too was empty. Worriedly he patted himself everywhere hoping to find his rectangular phone. _Are you kidding me? Did I leave it in the locker room?_

"Furihata what's wrong?" Kawahara asked.

"Crap! Uhh guys I think I left my phone back in the locker room."

"Seriously Furihata? Well you had better go get it before the janitors clean the room and throw it away. I'll tell coach you need to go back."

"Thank you guys and I'm sorry but I'll be right back," after that Furihata ran as fast as he could back to the locker room in the building.

Reaching the room, he went inside and saw his phone resting on top of one of the benches. _Gahh how stupid must I be just to forget something like this!_ He mentally cursed to himself as he grabbed his phone and left the room.

In the hall, he decided to walk a bit slowly to calm down his fast heartbeat from running and his anxious feeling from earlier. He was unobservant to his surroundings until he heard something.

*Sniff*

Hearing the sound behind him, he thought someone was crying. Walking back a few steps to look at the stairs on the right he found a person sitting on the steps with his head down. He was right knowing that the sound belonged to someone crying but what he didn't expect was that it belonged to someone he feared the most since coming to the Winter Cup.

 _A-A-Akashi?! Oh my god he's right in front of me! What's worse is that nobody else is around so it's just me and him! Oh no this is bad, if I just quietly walk maybe he won't notice me._

Hearing a soft whimper the red head lifted his face up to see a shaking brunette staring at him. Irritated he asked the coward,

"What?"

"Huh? Uhh w-well..." _Crap it's too late he's staring right at me with those frightening red eyes of his. What do I do now? Huh?_ Looking at what he called the devil more closely he saw that tears were streaming down his cheeks. _He's crying! But why is he crying? Don't tell me it's from losing the Winter Cup is it? Oh god this is even more awkward._

Not getting a proper response from the brunette Akashi was getting even more irritated as he tried to ask nicely as he can while trying to suppress the shakiness of his voice.

"I apologize for this improper appearance of mine but I would appreciate it you would leave me alone please."

 _Oh my god he's getting even more angry at me. I guess I'll just leave him alone._ He took a step forward and looked away from Akashi but stopped after that. _Wait a minute.._ He suddenly remembered what he heard from Kuroko when he talked about Akashi to his team.

 _"_ _I know it's hard to believe but it's true, Akashi-kun has never experienced failure in his entire life. It may be extremely hard for him if he loses the game but we have to win."_

 _Is that why he is crying then? Is it because he experienced his first failure...?_ Feeling his chest tighten he took a step backwards and faced Akashi who was still staring at him.

"Uh A-Akashi-san, I'm s-sorry..." he muttered. It was all Furihata could say because there were so many words going through his brain and he didn't know how to word it.

Akashi on the other hand was getting angrier because not only was this person not obeying his request but also he apologized for no reason.

"Look," he snapped quietly, "There is no reason to apologize. All I want is a moment to myself so if you would please-"

"N-no! Ah- s-sorry for interrupting but I-I'm apologizing because I didn't know it would be this h-hard for y-you." _Why the hell am I stuttering this much?! I really am scared of him...but at the same time, I feel...so bad for him._ Even if Furihata was the biggest coward that ever lived, he was still very sympathetic. Even for people that scared him so bad that he wanted to pee his pants. Whether that person deserved it or not, he hated it when he saw someone cry.

Akashi stayed quiet as if he was asking Furihata to continue.

"I-I uhh..." Furihata didn't know what else to say. Even with his concern for Akashi, he didn't know what to say to him. About to give up he just bowed to him and turned to face the long hallway when he suddenly thought of something.

Turning back to Akashi who still sat there staring he turned his attention to his duffle bag. He opened it and reached in to grab something he thought would help. He pulled out his white unused towel and draped it over Akashi's head.

"I-I know it's isn't much b-but... it's just that...it's just that it...j-just take this towel please!" he said showing a sheepish smile. Furihata looked to the ground avoiding Akashi's gaze fearing that it might show anger.

Akashi was about to say something when he was cut off by a ringing that came from Furihata's pocket.

Furihata jumped at the unexpected noise as he grabbed his phone to look at the caller ID. Seeing the words "Coach" Furihata started to panic. _Crap I didn't know that I took that long for the coach to call me. I have to leave now before she punishes me!_

Showing Akashi his sheepish smile again, he stammered out, "I h-have to go now s-so I guess I'll see you some other time."

With that, Furihata sprinted out before Akashi could speak again. He looked at the brunette's retreating form before sighing.

"I never even got to say thank you...," he said to no one with eyes still looking at the double glass doors.

He looked back down as he put his hand on the towel that rested on his head to wipe the sweat and tears that still lingered on his face.

Another thought struck him as he faced to the double glass doors before sighing again.

"I never got to ask for his name either..."

Back outside Furihata met up with the rest of his team.

"What took you so long?!" yelled Riko, "It shouldn't take 10 minutes to find a phone that was in a locker room!"

"I'm really sorry coach. But I ended up talking to someone along the way," Furihata explained as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Mou! Well since I am still in a good mood, I shall forgive you this time. But don't ever keep us waiting that long ever again. It's freezing out here!" And with that they all turned to head to a restaurant to celebrate their victory.

Furihata traveled behind the others thinking. _God dammit, I left my towel with that demon... I just hope he's still not angry at me or anything. I hoped what I did helped though, seeing him so vulnerable and so weak, it made me really worried. Gah! Why should I worry about that monster! Well goodbye towel, I'll never see you again._ He sulked emitting a depressing aura to where the other 1st years around him noticed.

"Oi Furihata are you okay" asked Kagami.

"Huh?" Furihata squeaked, "Ah yeah I was just thinking."

"Does it have to do with the person you talk with earlier?" Kuroko joined.

"I-I guess so..."

"Who is this person that you talked to?" Kuroko replied with a bit of interest.

"Well uh.." _I can't just tell Kuroko that I spoke with Akashi! He's going to keep questioning me if I do._ "It was just some random person asking for uhh...some m-money. Yeah, it was this really shady guy asking for money!"

"What did you do?" Kuroko asked with a hint of suspicion.

"I just ran away..." _Even if that did happen I would have ran away anyways._

"I see," with that Kuroko didn't question him any further.

"Heh heh yeah..." _Good job Kouki you idiot that was a terrible lie! Well at least the conversation is over. Oh yeah I have to call my mom._

Taking out his phone, he called his mom.

"Mom? Yeah hi, I was letting you know that I'm coming home late. It's because the whole team is celebrating by eating out and after that I'm going to Kawahara's house along with Fukuda to play some games. Yeah I know. Bye." With that, he hung up and sighed.

He placed his right hand over his heart that was beating fast. _It hasn't calmed down since that meeting with Akashi. Was I really that scared? God I'm such a coward..._

"FURIHATA!"

"Ack!" Furihata yelped and saw everyone a few meters ahead of him ready to cross the street.

"HURRY UP!" Coach Riko was in rage getting tired of Furihata's poor behavior.

"I-I'm sorry!" he yelled running to catch up with them before they ditched him.

 _Stupid stupid STUPID Kouki pay attention ,_ he told himself. _Well it's not like I'll see Akashi again. Well at least not until the InterHigh competition if we ever face Rakuzan again._

And with that Furihata shook his head of the memory that happened with Akashi telling himself it was just a onetime thing and that there was nothing special about it.

He caught up with the rest of his teammates to enjoy their victory celebration of winning the Winter Cup.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well that's it for the first chapter. Nothing really fancy going on in here but I promise the in the next few chapters (I'm not exactly sure since I only planned the first chapter only) things will start happening. Anyways I hope you like it and thank you for even reading it.

I'm just letting you guys know that AkaFuri is the only ship in this story. There will be no AoKuro, KiseKuro, MidoTaka, MuraHimu, AoKise, and especially KagaKuro (I really loathe that ship xD) and etc. I do have other ships that I like but I want to focus on AkaFuri. So I'm sorry if you were expecting other romances.

I'm sorry for the mistakes and if any of the characters are OOC. I try my best. So until the next chapter, goodbye for now! :) - Momo

I almost forgot but HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIDORIMA! Enjoy being 16 forever while still looking a lot older than you should be. :D lmao


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Lookie here I uploaded the 2nd chapter the next day! I just want to thank my reviewer Rhymos Ethereal for giving me the sudden motivation to make the next chapter. It really made me happy that I rolled in my bed squealing. xD I just had to start planning the 2nd chapter after reading your review. Since I was on my I-Pod I just planned it all in my notes app. This was all done at 3am by the way because I just couldn't wait. I was smiling like an idiot reading your review over and over again. Once I woke up I just started typing the story the whole day. So thank you Rhymos Ethereal because that review really made my day. :D

This is a message to everyone; yes I know that I'm squealing over one review but simple things like these really make me happy. Just doing things like writing a review for a story saying that you liked it, commenting on someone passing by that you like their clothes, or even just saying that you wish someone to have a good day can really have an effect on people. It may not seem like much to you but it can mean a lot to them. I'm not forcing anyone to do nice things but just think about it because you can literally just make their day.

Okay I'm going to shut up now and with that I hope you like this chapter! :D -Momo

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke! It belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi!

* * *

Lying in his bed Akashi stared up at the ceiling thinking about the argument he had with his father an hour ago.

" _So it is true that you lost in the Winter Cup," his father said in disgust._

" _Yes, father," Akashi kept his composure but inside he was nervous to hear what his father had to say, "but I promise next time that I will succeed in getting first place."_

" _No need to do that son," he paused and smirked, "That is because you will quit the basketball club."_

 _Eyes widening slightly he tried to oppose to that decision, "But father I-"_

" _That is an order Seijuro. Have you forgotten the promise we made after your mother died? I agreed to let you keep playing basketball as long as you do not lose. But since you did not achieve first place in the Winter Cup you bring a disgrace to the Akashi family so with that I am forbidding you to play any basketball in school. Now leave, I don't want to see your face for the rest of the day."_

 _Akashi stood there clenching his first holding in his anger. He bowed to his father, left without another word, and went to his room._

Now Akashi still on his bed after an hour got up and went to his balcony. It was still morning and he had another hour before he had to go to school. He stared into the distance not focusing his eyes anywhere. With basketball out of his life, he felt lost on what to do. He still had to tell his teammates, no, his former teammates that he had quit basketball and he was not looking forward to doing that.

He really didn't want to quit, not after finding himself thanks to Kuroko, he was just starting to treat his team members with more respect. He was sure they were going to be angry but what could he do? Sighing, he relished the last few seconds of the breeze and went back into his room.

Walking to his desk, he spotted the white towel hanging neatly on his chair. He picked it up and stared at it. He still remembered every detail that happened last night with the brunette. _I have to return this to him some day._ He disliked borrowing items from people but if he ever did, without his father knowing of course, he would always return them as soon as possible.

He knew that that boy went to Seirin. He remembered facing him during the Rakuzan vs Seirin game and how he thought of him as weak. _Since I won't be going to basketball practice anymore I have more time after school. I could just visit him today and get it over with._

He placed the folded towel in his school bag and took out his phone. Going through the contact list he clicked the persons ID and texted him.

 **From:** Akashi

 **To:** Kuroko Tetsuya

[ _I will be going to your basketball gym after school so expect to see me there._ ]

After sending it, he got a reply a minute later,

[ _Alright, but is there something you need or wanting to discuss?_ ]

Typing on his cell phone some more he sent his last message to his middle school friend,

[ _Not necessarily, but there is someone I want to talk to that is in your team._ ]

With that, he finished fixing himself, went to the black car in the front of his house, and left to school.

* * *

Now in the train heading to Tokyo Akashi looked out the window and replayed the events in his head from earlier after school.

" _You can't be serious Sei-chan right?!" yelled Mibuchi._

" _I am always serious, Reo."_

" _But... why?"_

" _It is a reason in which I unfortunately cannot explain to you."_

" _So that's it? You're just done? Is it because we lost the Winter Cup?"_

" _No it has nothing to do with us losing the Winter Cup but for other reasons. I apologize resigning all of a sudden but it's for the best. Now if you'll excuse me I have matters to attend to," Akashi stated and began walking away._

" _Is it because we failed?!" it was Hayama who was shouting at Akashi's retreating form, "Is it because we did not meet up to your expectations?"_

 _No reply came, as Akashi was already gone._

Sighing, Akashi opened his school bag to look at the towel still folded inside. Replaying those scenes again he realized that what that boy did felt...comforting. He would never in his life admit that when he sees him again but he will definitely thank him for the kind offer.

Hearing the train's bell, he got up and started heading to Kuroko's school to finish the task.

* * *

Panting, Furihata rubbed off the seat on his face with his shirt. _Damn, since I gave away my only towel I have to use my shirt. Why did mom have to buy only one towel? And why not just give me another bathroom towel?! She's so greedy!_ Furihata was currently at basketball practice taking a 10-minute break with the others.

"Hey Furihata do you want to borrow mines?" Fukuda offered.

"What? Eww no you just used that." He replied swatting Fukudas hand that was in front of his face holding a towel.

"If you say so..."

"Gahh! I'm so tired," Furihata exclaimed quietly to no one. He laid his back on the floor and stared up at the high ceiling. _I just want to go home...my chest kind of hurts..._

"What are you doing here you bastard!" the voice came from Kagami who sounded angry.

Lifting up his upper body into a sitting position Furihata looked at Kagami with a question face. Kagami was facing towards the doors with an arm stretched out pointing to something. Following the direction of his finger, he saw a red head with a displeased look on his face.

If he had been drinking water, he would have definitely been choking on it. _A-AKASHI?! Oh my god what is here doing here!?_ He screamed in his mind.

"That's quite rude to say to someone you barely know Kagami." Akashi replied.

"Bakagami shut up!" Riko yelled as she punched Kagami's face, "A-Akashi what brings you here?"

"I came here to speak with someone," the red head turned his eyes to Furihata who was behind the rest of the members shivering from being seen.

Kagami who was oblivious to where Akashi was looking at just denied, "Well if it's with Kuroko then you can forget it."

"Don't worry it is not with Kuroko but even if it was with him he would just tell you to leave," Akashi said as he smirked.

"Kagami-kun that was rude of you." Kuroko just stared at Kagami as if he was looking into his soul. "Who do you need to talk to Akashi-kun?"

"That boy over there," he shifted the direction of his body to the boy that sat on the ground shaking with fear.

"Furihata-kun?" Kuroko asked a bit surprised.

"That's his name? Yes Kuroko but not now, I can see that you are still in the middle of practice so I will wait outside," with that, Akashi turned around and went out the door.

A suffocating silence resonated throughout the whole gym but Kuroko was the first to break it.

"Furihata-kun do you know Akashi-kun?"

"O-of course not! I've never met him before!" he lied.

He flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up behind him to see Hyuuga.

"I don't know what's going on but I pray for your safety."

"A-ah.." _Why would you say that! It sounded like he thinks I'll die!_

After practice, Furihata went in the locker room changing out of his gym clothes.

"Furihata-kun"

"GAH!" Furihata shrieked as he snapped his head to see Kuroko right beside him. "K-Kuroko please don't do that."

"I'm sorry," Kuroko replied without any emotion to it. "I wanted to ask, when you said that you talked to someone yesterday at the Winter Cup building, was that person Akashi-kun?"

"U-uh of course not!"

Kuroko just stared at him.

 _Okay so he definitely does not believe me. I guess I just have to tell him the truth..._ "Y-yes...I ran into A-Akashi along the way..."

"I see...I guess that explains why he's here. That's all I needed to know then," Kuroko turned around and headed to the door. Once opening it, he stopped and turned to face Furihata who was still staring.

"Furihata-kun, you don't have to lie to me. I was never going to keep asking questions. I don't want to pressure anyone." After that, Kuroko finally left leaving Furihata alone.

"A-ah..." _Nice going Kouki you just embarrassed yourself!_ Finished changing he left the locker room and headed out the gym. Once outside he saw Akashi leaning against the wall with his arm crossed.

 _H-he really did wait for me! He waited an hour just to talk to me! It's probably something important. Calm down Kouki it's not like he's going to stab you or anything._ Akashi turned his head and saw Furihata looking at him while shaking.

"Furihata is it?" Akashi asked.

"Y-y-y-ye-"

"Stop stuttering, you're embarrassing yourself."

"I-I'm sorry!" _Kouki get a grip on yourself! Keep acting like this and he'll be angry at you!_

"It's alright," he bent down and opened his school bag that rested on the floor. Taking out the white towel, he showed it in front of Furihata. "I just wanted to return this to you, that's all"

"E-Eh?"

"The towel. The one you gave to me yesterday. I'm giving it back to you."

"A-Ah...Thank you..." he grabbed the towel from Akashi.

"No need to thank me. I'm only returning what's yours besides, I should be the one to thank you."

Furihata looked at Akashi and noticed a faint smile on his face. _He's smiling? At me?!_

"Well that's all I came here to talk to you about," Akashi mentioned looking at his watch, "I have to go back to Kyoto so goodbye," he turned around walking leaving Furihata.

 _K-Kyoto? He came all the way from there just to give back a simple towel!?_ Furihata suddenly felt bad. _I can't just let him spend an hour in Tokyo just to go back to Kyoto!_

"A-Akashi?" he called catching up to Akashi.

Akashi stopped to look at Furihata, "Yes?"

"S-since you came all the way from K-kyoto I-I was just wondering that you could s-stay a bit longer...?" _Oh my god Kouki you sound like a desperate fool!_

"That would be nice, but there is nothing else for me to do here," Akashi stated.

"W-well how about having d-dinner at my h-house?" _KOUKI WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Are you asking for death!?_

"You're inviting me to have dinner at your house?"

"U-um, w-well...not really- wait! I-I mean y-yeah..." Furihata could feel his face feeling warm. His face turned deep red from embarrassment. He stared at the ground nervously waiting for Akashi's reply.

"My father does not approve of me going to people's houses he is not familiar with."

"R-Really?" Furihata looked back up surprised with his response, "Ah w-well it's up to you..."

Akashi honestly did not want to go back home to that monster he lives with. He was quite happy to see a chance to stay away from his father for just a little longer. His father might be angry at his decision, but Akashi couldn't care less.

"It's up to me you say? Well in that case I graciously accept." Akashi agreed with a small smile.

"E-Eh?" Furihata was astounded by Akashi's answer. _Akashi, THE Akashi accepted my invitation!? Oh god what did I put myself into!_ Furihata screamed and cursed mentally to himself.

"I will have to follow you Furihata because I do not know where you live," Akashi stated.

"A-Ah r-right! Just follow me you k-know," Furihata started walking as Akashi simply followed behind.

 _I'm dead I'm dead I'm SO dead!_ He looked back to see Akashi following staring straight ahead as if he had a destination to go to. Of course he had a destination to go to. He's going to his house! For dinner! Furihata dreaded on how dinner was going to go now that Akashi was coming along.

Unbeknownst to them the bushes by the gym they passed rustled.

"Kagami-kun stop shaking, you better consider yourself lucky that they didn't notice us," Kuroko warned.

Kagami had his hands over his mouth suppressing a laugh as his shoulders shook.

"Sorry Kuroko, it's just that that poor guy is stuck with Akashi." After pointing it out Kagami couldn't hold it in anymore as he laughed hysterically.

Kuroko fed about with Kagami's behavior just ignite passed him in the stomach.

"Gah! Kuroko you bastard!"

Ignoring the insult Kuroko just stated, "Don't you think it's strange that Akashi-kun came during the time he was supposed to be at practice in his school?"

"Maybe," Kagami shrugged, "He must have really wanted to return that towel."

"I don't think so..." Kuroko said with suspicion in his eyes as he stared at the red head and brunette in the distance walking away.

"Well who cares, I just want to go to Maji Burger already so let's go."

They got up and walked the opposite direction away from the brunette who was shivering in fear with the lion right behind him.

* * *

 **A/N:** So how was it? I was planning to add the dinner part in here but I decided to make a separate chapter about it. Since I literally spent the entire day planning and writing this chapter I'm going to post chapter 3 in a few days. I'm not going to lie, making this drained my energy out. This is the first time making a story with multiple chapters (because I ditched the last story I published) so I'm not used to writing a lot. I guess you can say I'm a newbie? xD Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

I made a drawing of Furihata and Akashi and I'll make it the cover photo as soon as I color it (with colored pencils of course because I can't do shit with digital art lmao)! I had no time today because of making this chapter! *dies*

I apologize for any grammar mistakes and if the character are OOC. I try my best.

Oh, I'm not forcing anyone but reviews are appreciated! It helps keep me motivated. :D -Momo


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Wow this is the 3rd chapter this week! I'm on a roll. *dances* Anyways I want to say thank you to the people that reviewed. It really means a lot to me. :) To answer you Cerberos don't worry I will have a lot of fluffy moments but this story is not 100% fluff so expect some crazy moments. :O To CALIC0 it makes me glad to hear that this story is your cup of tea and yes I agree with you. I love romances with friendship in it. To Rhymos Ethereal thank you for reviewing a 2nd time! You're too kind.*squeals* :D So here's my promised dinner scene and some stuff after that! ^_^

I'll shut up now and with that I hope you like this chapter! -Momo

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke! It belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi!

* * *

"I'm home!" Furihata yelled while taking off his uniform jacket and shoes.

"Welcome home Kouki!" his mother called coming to the entrance to greet him, "Ara? Who is this young man with you Kouki?"

"Oh! Uhh h-he's just someone I met before and I said he could have dinner with us for today." Furihata still had a nervous tone from being around the emperor.

"Ah how nice! Hello I'm Kouki's mother, it's nice to meet you," she offered her hand to Akashi to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Furihata-san. My name is Akashi Seijuro," Akashi replied graciously taking the mother's hand into his own.

"Oh my such a gentlemen you are Akashi. You can call me Hana by the way. Kouki why didn't you say anything about having a guest coming over?"

"Ah sorry, I forgot heh heh..." he rubbed that back of his head nervously.

"Well shame on you son. I expected you to be a bit more responsible. I'm sorry Akashi dinner will be delayed for a bit so I can prepare some more food," with that Hana rushed to the kitchen.

Akashi turned to Furihata, "I apologize for having your mother prepare more food because I am here."

"O-oh no that's o-okay, she makes plenty for the two of us anyways," Fuirhata sighed, "B-besides, she's really h-happy to have a guest over."

"Oh?"

"Y-yeah...we haven't had a guest in years...A-anyways let's g-go." Furihata rushed as if wanting to run away from him but he just simply followed behind matching pace.

They waited at the table for about 5 minutes in silence that was awkward to Furihata until Hana came back with more rice and fish.

When Hana sat with them, Akashi spoke, "Thank you for having me over. It's quite rare for me to visit and eat at someone's house unless it's business related."

"Really? Well I'm delighted to have you over. It's been quite long since since someone came over."

"Ah yes I have heard," he took some Tempura and bit into it, "This is really delicious Hana-san"

"Why thank you! Ara?" she questioned as if she remembered an event, "Are you perhaps the boy that Kouki gave the towel to?"

"Yes, it was after I lost the finals of the Winter Cup that he offered me a towel. I came here all the way from Kyoto to hand it back to him."

"K-Kyoto?! That's so far away! You didn't have to...but thank you! Haha I remembered when Kouki came home like a nervous wreck saying how scared he was talking to you," she giggled.

Kouki who had just been listening to the whole conversation while chewing his rice just spat it out, "M-mom!? Don't say that around him! I-It's embarrassing!"

"Don't spit food out, it's improper. However, it's true no? I laughed so hard when he told me he almost wet his pants."

"MOM!"

Akashi merely chuckled, "Why yes it really was a comical sight to see."

 _Are you freaking kidding me?! What the hell mom why would say that!? Oh my god this is so embarrassing...I'm too tired to even argue back._ Furiahata just ignored them while eating his rice and tempura. _They seem to be having a good time though...I guess this is fine with me._ He listened to his mother and Akashi talk about all sorts of things between favorite foods, with Hana promising to make tofu soup the next time Akashi came to visit, to hobbies and their plans in the future.

"Oh my, it must be nice having your own business and being rich."

"Well there are ups and downs to having one but it's nice not working for anyone." Furihata noticed a slight distaste in the words Akashi had said but decided to forget it and continue eating.

When dinner was finished, which felt like forever to Furihata because of the nonstop conversation between his mother and Akashi, Hana had insisted that Akashi stay for another hour saying that he should enjoy as much time being in Tokyo as possible considering that he came a long way.

Akashi agreed and was currently in the living room sitting on the couch with Furihata on the couch across from him. He simply stared at Furihata who was fidgeting in his seat as if he was talking to himself mentally so he decided to break the silence even though Furihata was his host.

"Your mother is very nice," he simply said.

"Huh?" Fuirhata jumped from the unexpected noise and stared at him, "A-ah yeah...I-I kind of hear that a lot w-when we go out. F-from strangers of c-course! N-not from you s-since you only said it o-once..." His head was a jumbled mess making him unable to form words properly. _What do I do what do I DO?! This is so awkward! He's probably thinking he doesn't have time for this. Some host you are Kouki..._

Thankfully, his mother Hana noticed the silence and awkward conversation and came to the living room after washing the dishes in the kitchen. "What are you boys doing? Is sitting there doing nothing something you two enjoy? Kouki how about you take Akashi to your room to play some games?"

Furihata immediately stood up from the suggestion, "Y-yeah that sounds like a g-good idea! A-Akashi do you want to play g-games?" _Please please PLEASE say yes because I can take this silence anymore!_ He didn't mind silence around other people in general but for some reason being around Akashi made him extremely uncomfortable as if the air was suffocating him.

"I don't mind," Akashi shrugged. He honestly didn't care whatever he does. He was just glad to be away from his father who is probably infuriated as to why he was not home yet. He had homework and violin lessons every day, which was why his father wants him home early, but he can literally finish his homework in a matter of 10 minutes, and he already memorized the violin music piece perfectly by ear.

"Y-yeah...uh just follow m-me to my r-room...," Furihata walked to go up the stairs while Akashi followed behind once again.

Walking up the creaking stairs Furihata just kept repeating words in his head. _Don't mess this up Kouki. You can do it! If you mess up Akashi will just get angry and you'll make a fool out of yourself. So don't mess up!_ Now walking in the hallway he was too focused in talking to himself mentally that he tripped on his own foot.

"Gah!" he was sure that he would fall right on his face and probably break his nose but he was abruptly pulled up while being choked.

"Wha-"

"You should focus on walking and not let your thoughts let you get carried away."

Furihata, now standing up fine turned his neck to see Akashi holding the collar of his uniform. Processing the situation, he realized that Akashi had grabbed onto his collar and pulled him back to keep him from falling.

"T-t-thanks!" was all he could blurt out because of how embarrassed he was turning his face red.

Akashi merely sighed as he released his collar. "No need to thank me, I just didn't want you to possibly break your nose. I apologize if I ended up choking you though."

"A-ah...s-sorry then..."

"Don't apologize either."

"Y-yes!"

Furihata turned back around and continued walking. _Oh my god Kouki are you stupid?! You just promised not to mess up and look what happened! You're already making a fool out of yourself!_ He just sighed as he had probably just jinxed himself. Reaching the door to his room, he grabbed the handle and opened it. Upon entry, he realized something. _I DIDN'T CLEAN IT!_

There was a pile of clothes in the corner of his room and sports magazines scattered on his unmade bed. Trash overflowed in the trashcan and settled on the floor around it. The air smelled like the instant ramen that he had eaten last night because his mom came home late.

 _I FORGOT MY ROOM IS FILTHY! Oh no Akashi is going to point out how bad it is. Be prepared for the insults Kouki you can handle this._ "I-I''m sorry that it's a bit m-messy."

"A bit is an understatement don't you think," Akashi responded observing the room carefully, "It is quite interesting though."

"S-seriously?"

"Yes Furihata. Let's play your games shall we?"

"Y-Yes!" Furiaha rushed to the side of his room where his TV rested on the floor with his Wii. He plugged in all the cords hastily and turned the console and TV on.

"We're playing on the TV?"

"Huh? Y-Yes...um do you n-not want to?"

"Oh no this is fine. I just wasn't expecting that we would be playing console games. I was expecting more along the lines of shogi, chess, or card games."

"O-Oh...I'm sorry."

"I told you to stop apologizing."

"I-I'm s-sorry! Gah! I didn't m-mean to say that!"

Akashi only sighed as he walked to where Furihata was and sat on the floor next to him. "You need to tell me how this works because I have never played on a console before."

"Y-You never did?" Furihata asked surprised. _Just what does he do on his free time?_ Every male he knew had at least one kind of electronic game. Even Kuroko had a Nintendo DS to play on.

"No, my father said they were only distractions and forbade me having any electronics except for a cell phone and laptop. Though the laptop I have is strictly for school work."

"I-I see..." _That sounds terrible! His father sounds so strict._ "W-well, there's always a f-first heh heh..," he handed Akashi one of the Wii controllers and inserted a random game disc into the Wii.

When the Wii menu loaded, he saw that he had put in the Mario Kart Wii game. _Yes my favorite game! I'm totally going to get first place in all the races. Wait, but Akashi doesn't know how to play. I should probably go easy on him._ He clicked the game to load it and faced Akashi.

"U-um this game is about r-racing so you pretty much hold it sideways and t-turn in as if you're actually d-driving."

"A driving game? Sounds interesting. Don't go easy on me because I'm new at this. I can get the hang of things pretty quickly," Akashi smirked.

"U-uh okay..." _Is that a challenge?_ When the game title showed he clicked start where it showed his card profile with all golden circles in every box showing that he got first place in every cup on every difficulty settings. He clicked it and clicked the part showing to play with two players. Showing a variety of characters to choose he picked his Mii character while Akashi picked King Boo. They chose their vehicle to use and next was choosing a cup race and at that he was unsure on what to pick.

"U-um is there a s-specific one you w-want to do?"

"It does not matter to me since I will be beating you anyways," Akashi teased.

"O-Okay..." _Oh my god this is a challenge! Well you're going to get it you trash king so be prepared because you're about to get wrecked._ With that decision, he picked the special cup.

The loading finished as it showed the area of what looked like a desert. The countdown soon started with both of them being at the back.

"Oh! T-to move is 2 and to u-use items is B."

"Thank you for telling me right before the race starts."

"I'm s-sorry..."

The racing started and Furihata already pulled ahead into first place. He glazed his eyes over to see that Akashi was right behind him in second place. _He's doing pretty good for his first time._ He ran into a question box and got a banana. He held B down to have it right behind him in case anyone throws those red shells. It was immediately destroyed by a red shell and he realized that it came from Akashi. He looked at his face and saw him smirk.

"Furihata I think you should be paying attention to driving and not on me," Akashi warned without looking back at him.

"Y-yeah..." he focused back to his side of the screen and realized that he was in second place. He tried to keep up and get past him but it was no use. Akashi kept holding bananas every time he threw a green and red shell. _How is there no blue shell from the CPU's yet?_

In the end, Akashi got first place while Furihata got second. Furihata didn't show it but he was pissed. Anything that wasn't first place in this game was considered last place to him. No words were exchanged but the air felt tense as they were competing against each other.

After the Dry Dry Ruins course came Moonview Highway. This was one of Furihata's favorite courses because he loved having to doge all the moving cars. Luck seemed to be on his side because Akashi kept running into the cars and getting squished. In the end, he got first place while Akashi got second. He did a fist bump in the air to show off his victory. He looked at Akashi only to see him no longer smirking but frowning.

Next came Bowser's Castle and Furihata honestly wasn't fond of this course. He would always fall off the bridge when driving up the sides and into the air to go across the other part. At that part Akashi seemed to have avoided that and just travel down the middle after calculating when the fireball came. Akashi got first place again while Furihata got second. Akashi put his smirk back on and looked at Furihata while the next course was loading.

"What's with the frown? Don't tell me you're getting frustrated because I'm winning?" he teased.

"N-No! O-of course not. This happens a-all the time!" yes Furihata was pissed because he was actually losing for the first time in this game but he would never admit that.

The fourth and final course was Rainbow Road. It was Furihata's favorite course out of all of them because of the design and how difficult it was. He was still behind Akashi when it started but it quickly ended when Akashi fell off the edges. Now in first place he quickly tried to get ahead before Akashi could catch up. It was now the final round and Furihata was still in first with Akashi in second. He could see the finish line coming and he was determined to be first. With roughly five seconds left he was sure he was going to be first but that shattered when a force knocked his controller out of his hands.

"What!?" he looked down to see his cat rubbing her head against his hands as if wanting affection.

Akashi zoomed past him finishing in first while his kart was pushed off the edge. He quickly pushed his cat away and grabbed the controller. He accelerated as much as he could to avoid the CPU's getting ahead of him. He ended up getting second for the third time which was averaged to just being second in the award ceremony with Akashi getting first.

Akashi stared with a smirk at Furihata who was staring at the TV as if he witnessed a murder completely shocked.

"I win," was all the emperor said.

Furihata snapped his head to his cat that was next to him lying on her back with her legs spread out as if demanding for her belly to be rubbed.

"Hoshi! Why did you do that?!" he complained.

"You shouldn't be yelling at a cat."

"B-But you saw w-what she did!" he pointed to his cat pouting.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

 _Okay he's totally lying!_ He wanted to argue but he was scared to do so thinking that he might piss Akashi off and he definitely did not want that.

Akashi knew that Furihata didn't buy it but he was enjoying the look on his face. It was a mixture of nervousness, frustration, and sadness displayed on his red and embarrassed face. He wanted to keep this up for a little longer.

"Furihata is it okay if we could have another go with racing?" he asked.

"Huh?" He shot is attention away from his greedy cat to face him, "Y-you do? Uh s-sure."

Right after saying that a ringing sound resonated through his room. Looking around for a bit he turned his attention to Akashi who was took a phone out of his pocket.

"Yes?" Akashi responded, "I see... I will be right out." He hung up at turned to Furihata, "I apologize but my driver is outside waiting to take me back home."

"R-Really? W-wait how do they k-know where you are?"

"There is a tracker on my cell phone. Don't tell anyone about this though." Usually Akashi would lie about this but he didn't feel like making a fib and he felt like Furihata was trustworthy enough to keep this a secret.

"Y-yeah s-sure." _What the hell why is there a tracker on his phone?! Isn't that stalking?_ "I'll w-walk you o-outside."

Akashi smiled, "Thank you."

Opening the door outside they saw a black vehicle with heavily tinted windows parked across the house. It was already slightly dark since it was 8pm and the sounds of crickets can be heard. _It's already this late? I never even noticed..._

Akashi turned back around and faced Furihata, "I really enjoyed this visit Furihata. Thank you."

"N-No that's o-okay! Y-You can come a-anytime you w-want." _WHAT AM I SAYING?! Why do I keep offering Akashi so many things?! I shouldn't be doing this! Kouki shut up before you get pulled into something you're not supposed to be doing!_

"Really?" Akashi responded slightly surprised by the nice gesture, "Well in that case let's exchange number yes?"

"Huh?" _Kouki say no say no SAY NO! Don't do it!_ _You're only asking for trouble!_ "Uh I-I guess...s-sure..."

After exchanging each other's phone numbers Akashi walked away and went inside the car. Furihata kept waving until the car was not seen anymore. He closed the gates and walked back into his house.

"Ara? Kouki did your friend leave?" It was his mother looking over her shoulder from the couch.

"Yes mom...and he is not my f-friend either," he muttered as he lazily walked to the stairs.

"Why did you stutter? You seemed to be having a good time when I saw you two boys playing the Wii," Hana smirked.

"Y-You saw?!"

"Of course dear, ah, I'm sorry that I let Hoshi into your room, she really wanted to see you."

"You're the one who let her in?! Mom, she was the reason for making me lose!" Anger started rising in him but it disappeared when he sighed, "Whatever I'm going back to my room, I'm tired."

"Goodnight Kouki!" Hana yelled with a mischievous tone.

When Furihata reached his room he flopped belly side onto his bed burying his face into his pillow and sighed. _Today was a frightening day...this was all so unexpected! Why does this have to happen to me? I'm going to die early from freaking out to much._ The whole time Akashi was with him he was sweating bullets from nervousness. He was scared about what Akashi would think of him, his mother, and even his cat! His heart had finally calmed down when Akashi left but he still felt shaken. _I really am a coward... and what did mom mean by that we had a good time? We're not even friends! She doesn't know that I was anxious and uneasy the whole time! Gah! Whatever all this thinking is giving me a headache. My chest still hurts too! I'll just sleep. I don't even care about homework._

Furihata closed his eyes to sleep but it took quite a while because is mind kept replaying the events that happened today. He would never admit it to his mother or to anyone else but he kind of did enjoy spending time with Akashi. For dinner, it's always just him and his mom at the house and when playing games he's usually playing alone. He sometimes eats and plays games at Fukuda's or Kawahara's house but those are for special occasions. He enjoys it but sometimes he wishes that people came to his house instead of going to other peoples places himself so having someone spend time with him in his area of comfort, even if that person scared him to death, made him feel somewhat happy.

He smiled at the thought before letting sleep overtake him.

* * *

 **A/N:** How was it? I'm sorry if the dinner part was not that much so to make up for it I put them playing games with each other! Does anyone play Mario Kart Wii? I used to play that a lot. I got all gold circles on my drivers card. xD

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I won't be making chapter 4 for quite a while because I still need to do more planning so I'll have it out by maybe next Friday or Saturday.

I'm just letting you guys know that the process for romance will be sort of slow. That's because I want them to start off as friends first before they start loving each other. Isn't that the way in real life? I've never been in a relationship but don't most people together start off as friends first? Well I certainly want to understand them well before I take it any further. So I'm sorry if you expected them to be kissing right away but don't worry it'll happen one day! :)

I apologize for any grammar mistakes and if the characters are OOC. I try my best.

Reviews are appreciated! It keeps me motivated. :D -Momo


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Yay another update! To be honest I was struggling writing this. It took longer to make than the other chapters. I actually posted this chapter earlier then I intended to so consider it a gift to all my wonderful reviewers! :D To answer you guys CALIC0 I do plan on writing more about Akashi's family (mainly the father) so don't worry! To the Guest reviewer I actually had to look up what oreshi and bokushi meant but now that I know the definition I felt so happy by your review. I want to point out that since this is set after the Winter Cup Akashi is back to his original self (2 red eyes) so he's more polite than his other personality (heterochromia eyes).

Thank you guys soooo much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! They mean so much to me. *cries* Well with that I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D -Momo

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke! It belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi!

* * *

Furihata dragged his body to the doors of the basketball gym. While walking he kept replaying the moments that happened right after school in his mind.

" _Furihata?" a girl with short black hair came to Furihata at the school rooftop._

" _I-Izumi-san! Thank you for c-coming..." his faced was bright red as he looked to the ground._

" _It's no problem. What did you want to speak to me about?"_

" _U-Uh well do you remember that p-promise we made at the start of our first year?" he was fidgeting from the short silence that came after._

" _Yeah...?" she sounded skeptical._

" _W-Well since I became the b-best at something which in this case was b-basketball I was wondering i-if we could g-go out?" he was extremely nervous now. He could hear his heart beating fast as if it was right next to his ear. He finally had the courage to look at her to hear her answer._

 _Izumi's face softened and sighed. "Furihata I think I need to clear something with you."_

" _Huh?"_

" _When I said I would date you if you became the best at something I was only joking, I thought you knew that but it seems you took it literally. I never made that promise, you did. I'm sorry Furihata but I only see you as a friend. I'm sorry but I cannot accept your request. I do hope you understand." She bowed to him to help with her apology._

" _I-I...I see. I'm s-sorry to have bothered you...heh heh," he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment._

" _I should be the one to apologize. I didn't tell you before that it was just a misunderstanding. I may have rejected you but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."_

" _Y-Yeah that sounds nice." He tried to sound happy but it was obvious that his voice was shaking. "Um I-I have to go to practice now." He walked quickly with his head down, his bangs covering his eyes, to the doors that led to the stairs._

" _T-Take care Furihata." Izumi replied giving a sympathetic wave._

Furihata now right in front of the doors stopped before opening it. Feeling heartbroken, he rubbed his eyes for the fifth time to get rid of the tears that persistently kept coming out. _Kouki you fool. I knew that it would just be a rejection. I mean, no one would want a weak person like me. Even if I saw it coming... it still hurts... it really hurts._ He was on the verge of sobbing now but he squeezed his eyes shut keeping the heavy tears from falling out. _Get it together Kouki! Quit crying, you look like an idiot! Stuff like this happens all the time in life! Don't think you're the only one that's suffering._ With that conclusion, he slapped his hands on the sides of his cheeks. Taking deep breaths he was able to calm down his shaking and his tears started to disappear. Rubbing his eyes for the last time, he grabbed the door handle and opened it.

"Furihata!" It was coach Riko who yelled.

"Y-Yes?" he squeaked.

"You're late!"

"S-Sorry coach...I had cleaning duties after school." He knew he had to lie because there was no way he would tell the truth of confessing to a girl who flat out rejected him.

"Hmm? I understand, but you're still doing twice the number of exercises. Come now, we were waiting for you."

"Yes coach..." he sighed. _Great, no matter what I say I still had my training regimen doubled._

He sluggishly walked to where the others and listened to the coach's orders. After instructions were given everyone crowded around him.

"Ne, what did Akashi talk to you about? It was Koganei.

"U-Um I don't k-know what you guys are talking about." _Of course I know what they're talking about! I just don't want to talk about._

"Oi are you stupid? You know what we mean," Hyuga snapped, "I kind of want to know too."

"W-Well uh..." _Think of something Kouki! I can't tell them the truth!_

Kuroko seemed to have noticed Furihata's discomfort and decided to interrupt, "I think we should leave Furihata-kun alone. You're making him nervous."

"But I want to know!" Kagami complained, "Especially what happened after the talk."

"What? Did you and Akashi do something together after practice?" Izuki asked.

"W-What?! Of course not, he only talked to me!" _What the hell? Does Kagami know?!_

"GET TO TRAINING!" Riko yelled. She was pissed that no one started training.

"Yes coach!" they yelled in unison.

 _Phew that was a close one._ Furihata rubbed the sweat off his face. _I haven't even started training and I'm already sweating!_

"Furihata-kun?"

"Huh?" he turned to look at Kuroko.

"I'm not going to lie but I heard what you and Akashi were talking about."

"W-What?! You were spying on us?"

"Yes, Kagami too, I'm also admitting that I am kind of curious about what happened when Akashi went to your house for dinner."

"Y-You know about that too?!" _What the hell!? They really were spying on me! Now I can't just lie to Kuroko anymore._ "W-Well it was okay I-I guess. My mom and him talked most of the time and after that we played games."

"Games? That sounds interesting."

"Well I lost because of my cat so..." he still couldn't get over his cat making him lose the game against Akashi.

Kuroko smiled, "That must have been a hilarious sight to see."

"Not if you're the victim! Anyways we need to train," he reminded as he walked pass Kuroko.

"Furihata-kun?"

 _What does he want from me!?_ He turned around to face Kuroko, "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your eyes, they're a little puffy and red. Have you been crying recently?" Kuroko sounded a bit worried.

"M-My eyes?" _Crap! I forgot that my eyes would look bad after crying! What should I tell him? I can't say that I was crying over being rejected._ "Kuroko I-I'm sorry but...I can't tell you." _Gee, I sound pathetic. But at least it's better than telling the truth._

"I understand, but," Kuroko walked over and put a hand over Furihata's shoulder, "If there's anything troubling you can always tell me." With that, he left to join the others.

"T-Thanks..." he muttered. _Maybe I should've told him...but I guess it's too late now. Ah well I'll probably just go to the aquarium and calm down there._ He jogged to the others and began his double training.

After the painful training Furihata had to endure, he went to the locker rooms to change. Coming out he spotted Fukuda and Kawahara waiting for him.

"Hey guys sorry for making you wait."

"No that's okay. Let's go shall we?" Fukuda responded.

When walking they chatted about all sorts of topics. When they walked by the train station Furihata asked, "Guys I'm going to go the the aquarium again. Do you guys want to come?"

"I'm sorry but I promised my parents I would come right back home so we could go visit our grandma in the hospital," Fukuda replied.

"That sounds fun! But sorry I can't go because I have to catch up on homework because I'm on the verge of failing." Kawahara mentioned.

"No that's okay! I can understand. Well I'll be going to the train station now so I'll see you guys tomorrow." Furihata walked away from his two friends who waved goodbye.

Inside the train station, he walked to a bench and sat on it. He rested his elbows on his thighs, planted his palms on his face, and sighed. _Figured they would be busy. Well it's not like I have a problem but..._ He was cut from his thoughts when his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and looked at the caller I.D.

[Akashi Seijuro]

 _Wh-why is he calling me!? Should I answer it? I don't really want to but it has to be important right?_ Slowly pressing the call button, he hesitantly put it next to his ear.

"H-Hello?"

* * *

Akashi wasn't just angry, he was pissed. He was pissed at what his father said to him last night.

" _Why have you not come home right after school? Have you been going to basketball practices? I told you that you must quit," his father snarled._

" _Yes father I did quit, I ju-"_

" _And why did you go to Tokyo? What business did you have over there? Is it something that involves the business?"_

 _Akashi mentally cringed, "No father I went to Tokyo to..." if he admitted to his father that he had to return something to someone, he would be downright furious._

" _To what? Spit it out already."_

 _I may as well tell him the truth, "I went to Tokyo to return something to someone." He kept his eyes in contact with his father's but truthfully, he wanted to look at the ground. There was a slight pause after admitting that but was soon broken when his father lashed out._

" _What have I told you about borrowing things from people!? What are you, poor? Only the weak do that! If you wanted something, you could have just bought it from somewhere! Instead, people should be borrowing from you so they know your wealth and status!_

" _The person gave it to me and he left before I could even reject the offer."_

" _Then follow him! Were you too stunned to even go after him? Are you that much of an idiot, Seijuro?"_

 _Akashi flinched at the harsh words but merely replied with, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."_

" _Well sorry doesn't cut it! You had better be glad I'm in a good mood because of some successful investments made so you're off the hook. The only punishment you get is that you will not spend time with you horse for two weeks. Now get out of my face, it makes me sick."_

 _Akashi only bowed with no reply and turned around to leave. He placed his hand on the door handle to open but stopped when his father spoke._

" _Expect a business meeting during the spring break, there's someone you need to meet."_

" _Yes father," he replied silently. Opening to door to continue he was close to leaving for good but was stopped again._

" _And Seijuro? If you make any more mistakes you_ _ **will**_ _be punished."_

 _His grip on the door handle tightened at the menacing words. "Yes father..." his reply was nothing more than a whisper. He finally closed the door and rushed away from the room he called hell and went to his room._

Now in the student council room alone a day later he was still pissed. He loathed his father to the point where he wishes he would die. _Wealth is so overrated,_ he spat out mentally. _It only corrupts the minds of those who achieve it. How disgusting._

He turned his head and looked at the clock to see it has only been 10 minutes since school ended. He sighed and grabbed his bag to leave. Walking outside he stopped by the basketball gym. Hearing the sounds of shoes squeaking on the floor and the dribbling of the basketballs he had to urge to just barge in and play with them. He shook his head to get rid of that feeling and continued walking to the school gates. He longed to play basketball again. He missed the feeling of dribbling the ball and moving around the defenders. Now without it he felt like everything else was boring.

Stopping at the gates he looked around and saw no black car. _Ah yes I remember._ This morning his father told him that he had to walk home for two weeks because he felt that not being able to spend time with his horse was not enough. Instead of being disappointed Akashi felt relieved because had more time to be away from his father. Even so, it still didn't feel like enough time. He wanted to be away for at least a few hours, just enough to cool his anger.

Coming to that decision, he called one of the servants at his household to notify his father that he will be coming home late. He lied saying he had to stay after school for a student council meeting and won't be back until later. His father didn't really mind if he came home late as long he had a good reason to do so. Yesterday was his mistake when he didn't notify anyone about having dinner and that boy's place which was why they tracked him down through his phone.

Now having more time he started wondering what he should do. He thought about visiting some people to pass the time. _Reo?_ No he couldn't, Reo was probably still angry at him for quitting. He wanted to turn around and go back to the gym but he can't. It was too late after resigning. Instead he continued walking past the gates leaving the school ground. _Kuroko or the rest of the guys?_ He considered it for a moment but he realized they could get suspicious of him for just wanting to hang out with them. Sighing he came to the conclusion that he would just spend his time alone but then he thought of another person.

 _Furihata?_ He still clearly remembered everything that happened with him from the end of the Winter Cup to yesterday's dinner. He knew that boy was just scared to be around him because of his presence. That boy would always shake and stutter to the point it irritated him sometimes. He couldn't help it, it was in his nature to act like that. _Am I that frightening?_ Even if he scared the boy, he did enjoy the time spent with him. He liked talking to his mother and playing the racing game with him.

 _He did say I could come visit anytime._ Pulling out his phone, he checked the time. It had already been an hour since leaving school. _How long was I standing at the gate? Well he should be out of practice already so I'll give him a call._ Searching the contacts, he pressed call on Furihata's name and put it to his ear. It took a while for him to pick up. _He's probably debating whether he should answer or not._ After a while, a shaky voice was heard.

"H-Hello?"

* * *

"Good afternoon Furihata, are you busy?" Akashi spoke.

"G-Good afternoon to you t-to...um not really, w-why?" Furihata replied.

"I was just wondering if we could hang out together for a while since I am not busy either."

"U-Um..." _Why would he want to hang out with me?! I have to reject him! But..._ "S-Sure I guess."

"Where are you at? I'm going to take the train to Tokyo to meet up with you."

"I-I'm actually at the t-train station so..."

"Are you planning to go somewhere?"

"Y-Yeah I was planning to go to the a-aquarium."

"I see...I guess you're busy so I won't bother you."

"W-Wait! I-It's fine really...I was going to g-go by myself but you c-could come with me if you like." _What are you doing Kouki! This is a perfect time to reject him!_

"Is that so? Well I shall take that offer. Let's meet at the aquarium yes? "

"Y-yeah I'll see you t-there."

After Akashi hanged up Furihata leaned back on the bench and sighed. _Good job Kouki you were too scared to even say no. Now you have to deal with him again. But at least I'm not alone right? But it's Akashi of all people! Just calm down Kouki!_ Slowly getting up he walked over to the waiting area for the next train to arrive. When the train arrived, he entered and sat down on an available seat. _Well at least I have enough time to calm myself down. My heart is beating fast from just thinking about him._ Closing his eyes, he took deep slow breaths. _It's going to be okay Kouki._ He mentally kept repeating those words until his stop came. Getting out of the train station, he was now on the other side of Tokyo heading to the aquarium museum. Reaching the area, he went inside the lobby and sat on a nearby bench. Looking around he noticed it wasn't as crowded. _Thank goodness. It's a real pain when there's so many people._ Whenever the place was crowded, it was hard for Furihata to come close to the glass tank when everyone else was near it.

He looked at his watched to see the time. _Since he's coming all the way from Kyoto it'll be a while until he arrives. I could probably just rest a while since basketball practice nearly killed me._ He closed his eyes and shifted his body into a more comfortable position.

"-ihata, Furihata, Furihata wake up."

He felt a hand on his shoulder shake him. He was too tired to open his eyes so he just waved at the stranger, "Mmm just five more minutes," he mumbled.

"Furihata if you don't wake up the aquarium will close."

 _The aquarium? Oh yeah the place I was supposed to go with- ._ Gasping, Furihata jolted awake to see Akashi in front of him with a stern face. "A-A-Akashi! I-I'm so sorry!"

"How many times have I told you to stop apologizing? It's fine."

"I-I didn't m-mean to sleep!"

"I understand, you were tired from basketball practice right? It's okay."

"H-How long were y-you here?"

"I just got here," Akashi answered, "Also you shouldn't be sleeping in a public place, people might steal your possessions."

"I'm s-sorry."

"I said stop apologizing," Akashi furrowed his eyebrows this time.

 _Oh my god Akashi's angry with me now! Stupid Kouki what's wrong with you! I have to do something._ Looking around Furihata spotted the reception desk. "A-Akashi let's go there to g-get the tickets."

Furihata got up and went to wait in line with Akashi following behind. "U-Um I'll buy a t-ticket for you."

"No, don't do that."

"N-No it's r-really okay-"

"I don't want you to buy me one, I'll buy it myself. I'll buy you one too."

"What? B-But-"

"It's to make up for inviting me to your house yesterday. Consider it a thank you gift."

 _What? But now I feel bad! The tickets are quite expensive...but isn't Akashi rich or something?_ "A-Are you sure?"

"Yes Furihata my words absolute." Akashi smiled at saying that. He may be back to normal but he still had a kick saying that phrase.

After Akashi paid for the tickets, they went inside the museum. The whole place was alit with blue from the reflection of the waters. One side of the room was all glass holding the water and the sea creatures inside it. There were many organisms ranging from colorful fish to sea turtles, stingrays to even a whale shark. It was like a mini ocean. The other side of the wall was information about each individual types of creatures associated here. It was a quiet and peaceful setting with the dim lights casting above.

Furihata quickly went to the glass side and stared at the sea creatures in awe, his eyes wide in fascination and curiosity. _It really is beautiful... every time I come here it never ceases to amaze me._ Without realizing he mumbled, "It's so beautiful..."

"It really is."

"Gah!" Furihata flinched when he forgot that Akashi was with him. _I totally forgot he was here!_

"What is with that response? Akashi questioned.

"S-Sorry! I was just l-lost in thought that I f-forgot you were here."

"I understand, it's quite easy to be in your own world being in a place like here. But you're right, it truly is beautiful."

Furihata looked surprised by Akashi's answer then smiled. He turned his attention back to the small ocean, "Yeah..." _He seems to like the place. That's a good sign. Phew! I thought he found this place boring. When I came here last time with Fukuda and Kawahara they were talking to each other a lot. I think that the aquarium is boring for them._

They walked out of the room and went down a long set of stairs. The stairs brought them to an underground tunnel. There was water surrounding both sides and the top of the glass tunnel. More arrays of fish surround them along with corals. There were even a few sharks swimming around slowly.

Walking slowly Furihata turned his head from left to up then right admiring the beauty of sea life. Behind him was Akashi also looking around the glass but then turned his sight to see Furihata who's mouth was agape. _He really must like this place._ Akashi truthfully did like the sight since it was his first time coming to one. He just kept a neutral face but inside he was enjoying everything.

Walking out of the tunnel and up more stairs, they came to another room similar to the first one with glass on one side. There were added fish tanks for separate organisms like jellyfish and shrimps. They looked at each smaller tank and finished at the glass sided wall. Akashi looked at Furihata and decided to speak.

"What made you come here today?" he asked.

"Huh?" Furihata broke away from his imagination to look at Akashi, "W-Well I had a bad day earlier..."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Akashi wasn't the type of person to listen to other people's problems but he asked out of politeness.

"Um n-no not really...sorry." _He asked if I wanted to talk about it? There's no way I could tell him! But...he doesn't seem like the person that would laugh at me or tell anyone. Is it okay to tell him? I missed my chance with Kuroko so..._

"Hnn," was Akashi's response as he faced forward to look at the aquarium. _Well I tried._

Furihata just looked at the floor clenching his fists. _Come on Kouki it shouldn't be bad to tell at least one person! Izumi-san probably told all her friends what happened._ "W-Well you see..," he started.

His voice caught Akashi's attention once again but he kept staring at the ground. "I-I was kind of r-rejected by s-someone..." he rubbed the back of his head out of his head, "B-But it's alright now s-since I came here."

Akashi only stared at him before asking, "Why come here and not go somewhere else?"

 _Ouch..._ "Well I-I like going here when I'm f-feeling down or stressed." Furihata took two steps closer to the glass, "I also l-like coming here b-because I used to come here a lot with m-my parents so it brings memories."

A sea turtle came to view in front of Furihata. It placed its fins right on the glass and without thinking Furihata placed his hand on the glass in front of the turtle, their touch being separated by the thick glass. "I find it calming and comforting. It's a place where I can forget everything around me and be in my own world. There's another place that helps me but it's further away in a rural area so the aquarium is more convenient for me. Heh...it sounds kind of sappy but it's true..." The sea turtle withdrew its fin and swam away to join the fishes.

Akashi eye's slightly widened at Furihata's response. _How interesting._ He stayed silent until he realized something, "You didn't stutter this time for once."

Furihata quickly turned his head to face Akashi, "Huh? I-I didn't?"

Akashi sighed, "Well not anymore."

"Sir please do not touch the glass"

"Gah!" Furihata quickly retracted his hand from the glass and turned to the security guard glaring at him, "I-I'm so sorry sir! It won't happen again!"

The security guard didn't respond but simply walked away back to his post.

 _Seriously Kouki!? What's wrong with you! Did you not see the signs that said 'Do not touch the glass'!?_ Furihata cursed himself mentally but brought back to reality when he heard laughing. He looked over to see Akashi quietly laughing with his hand covering his mouth.

 _Is he laughing at me?_ He looked down with his face red. _You see Kouki this is what happens when you embarrass yourself!_ Turning back to look at Akashi he seemed to have calmed down. _That's the first time I've heard him laugh so much._

Akashi quickly regained his exposure, "I apologize for that improper appearance of mine but that was quite entertaining."

"I-I couldn't help it! It f-felt like that turtle wanted to see m-me," Furihata stammered. _I have to think of another reason so I don't sound too emotional!_ "I-It's not just because I l-like this place! I j-just happen to like Biology, especially M-Marine Biology."

"Marine Biology is definitely an interesting topic." Akashi looked at his watch to see that it was almost 7pm. "It is getting sort of late so I will have to take my leave Furihata."

"I-I'll go with you, I'm done looking through h-here too."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah my mom will be sort of angry if I'm late..."

"I understand, it's the same with my father. Let's go then." Akashi walked to the exit door with Furihata catching up behind.

The walk to the train station was completely silent. Akashi remained neutral mannered while Furihata was feeling uneasy. Once on the train they sat in silence again until Furihata couldn't handle it anymore. _Think of something Kouki! But what should I say? Ah I should probably say thank you right?_ He looked at Akashi who had his arms crossed and eyes closed. "U-Um Akashi?"

"Yes?" Akashi responded opening his eyes to look at him.

"I-I just wanted to say t-thank you...for uh...for coming with me." Furihata could only look at his lap saying it. He wanted to say more but he felt too embarrassed to say it.

"It's alright Furihata," Akashi reassured smiling, "I actually was quite angry this morning from an event that happened yesterday and coming here actually calmed me down."

"R-Really?" This time Furihata looked up to meet Akashi's eyes.

"Yes, so I should actually be thanking you for showing me."

"Heh heh it's f-fine." _He really did like it! Ah I'm so relived! Why was I nervous this whole time?_

"But I do have one more thing to say." Akashi spoke interrupting his thoughts.

"W-What is it?"

"Since I've been following you for the past two days I was thinking we should go to a place where I want to go next time."

 _I have to hang out with him again? Are we friends or something? I kind of feel bad since he followed me to the gym, my house, and the aquarium. Maybe I should return the favor._ Coming to that decision, he answered, "Y-Yeah, it seems fair. Where d-do you want to go?"

"How about we go out to eat? There's a place that I haven't been to in a long time and I'd love to go back some time."

"E-Eh? In Kyoto?" _Would mom even let me go to Kyoto?_

"No it's in Tokyo. I used to live here before moving to Kyoto so I know the area quite well. I wouldn't want you going to an unfamiliar place so I'll be coming to Tokyo again."

"A-Ah I see..." _I don't want him to keep coming to Tokyo because of me but he seems content with his answer. I'll just promise to visit him in Kyoto someday. Wait does that mean I'll be seeing him a lot more in the future?_ His thoughts were interrupted again when he heard the train's bell ringing signaling the next stop. He looked outside the window seeing that it was his time to get off. "Um Akashi I-I have to get off now."

"Very well then, I shall text you the details tomorrow. Have a safe night"

"Y-You too..." The doors opened and a few people walked out. Furihata stood up from his seat and started walking towards the doors. _I should probably thank him properly. I did sort of messed up the first time._ He stopped in front of the doors and turn to face Akashi who was still staring at him _. Come on Kouki just tell him! It might be now or never._ "Akashi I...I...I really did enjoy visiting the aquarium with you, it really made me happy! I look forward to meeting you again sometime soon!" After practically yelling it out, he dashed out leaving Akashi surprised.

Akashi now looking at the closed doors simply thought, _how interesting indeed._ He closed his eyes and crossed his arms again smiling to himself. _He didn't stutter again._

Furihata was now panting outside the train station. _I can't believe I said that! I also can't believe I ran through the train station! That was so embarrassing! So many people were looking at me!_ He slapped his hands on his face hiding the red cheeks. _Ah whatever I'm starving!_ He left the train station and started heading towards his house. While walking he put a hand on his chest. _That was really scary. This whole trip made me so nervous I felt like passing out, but..._ A smile smile formed on his lips, _I truly did have fun today..._ Lost in his thought his phone started ringing.

Fishing it out of his pocket, he placed it to his ear, "Hello? M-Mom?! I'm sorry but- what? No wait I said- I just went to the aquarium like usual. Yes yes I'm almost there, bye." He flipped his phone closed and sighed. _Geez now mom's mad! Well I better hurry._ He jogged back home while thinking how to deal with his mother's anger all while subconsciously smiling.

* * *

 **A/N:** How was it? I apologize for Furihata's constant stuttering but don't worry it won't last forever! This kind of friendship takes quite a while for it to form and especially the romance which won't come until a lot later. After looking though my story plans I came to the conclusion that this will be a long story. I'm not exactly sure how long but I know for sure there will be a least 10 chapters. I'm pretty sure there will be more but who knows! If you like long stories with character development (which I think I'm doing) then you're in luck! :)

Since I had difficulty writing this chapter then I have no doubts that I will be having difficulty writing the next chapter. It should be uploaded somewhere next week. Well for now I hope you guys like the story so far! I'm still experimenting things here and there so please understand.

I apologize for any grammar mistakes and if the characters are OOC. I try my best.

Reviews are appreciated! It helps keep me motivated! :D -Momo


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Geez these chapters keep getting longer and longer. I had meant to post this Monday but I got distracted. At least I did the job of uploading it this week. :D

To the reviewer Saaaiki- I'm so grateful to know that you liked the chapter so much that you want to kill someone. xD I'm so so sorry that Furihata is stuttering in nearly every sentence. In this chapter I made him do less of it. From now on he only stutters from being shocked, panicking, or scared. His fear of being around Akashi is disappearing. Other than that he talks normally. Honestly I got a bit annoyed with his constant stuttering too. xD I truly apologize for that. I'm glad to have pointed out the difference between the Oreshi and Bokushi. I'm not sure if I'll ever put the Bokushi personality in this story because I never thought of it. Do you guys want me to put it in? I'll do it if you guys want to, just let me know by reviewing or private messaging me. And if I do I promise I won't make him a complete douche. Saaaiki you pointed out something that's really important.

 **Mini rant-** I know that his Bokushi personality is a bit crazy but he's not complete psycho. I hate it when people make him out to a complete yandere or some creepy and obsessive guy and I HATE it when people always write him with freaking scissors!He literally had scissors in one episode for like 2 minutes yet people make it out to be as if scissors are his life or something. I actually abandoned what I thought were good stories because Akashi pulls out scissors from his ass or something and threatens to stab people. Like what the hell? WHO DOES THAT? I'm just like nope I'm done! EVEN if he has the Oreshi personality people STILL make him like that! I'm trying to think realistically here because if someone does that to me and threatens my life I wouldn't hesitate to put a restraining order against them. I'm not hating on stories just because they make Akashi like that but I'm just tired of seeing something that it so unrealistic. Yes I agree with you Saaaiki, Akashi is just an intimidating person because of how he was raised in the strict environment he lives in. The only person that might seem unrealistic in this story is Akashi's father which will be mentioned more in the future chapters. No one is exactly sure what his fathers personality is like besides him being strict and demanding so I'm going to experiment by making him a really bad person and NO he's not going to have freaking scissors! *rips hair out*

Sorry for the rant but I just had to mention it because this had been on my mind for weeks. Thank you Saaaiki because it gave me a reason for pointing it out. Anyways enough of my rambling, I hope you like this chapter! :D -Momo

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke! It belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi!

* * *

After another day of brutal practice in the gym Furihata laid sprawled out on the floor with his eyes closed panting. When he heard footsteps coming closer, he opened his eyes to see Fukuda and Kawahara walking towards him.

"Ah man I'm beat!" Fukuda spoke stretching his arms.

"Hey Furihata how was the aquarium yesterday?" Kawahara asked.

"Oh it was actually good," Furihata responded.

"Really? That's good to know. I'm really sorry I couldn't come but it's just that my grades are really important you know?"

"No no it's really okay. Don't feel bad about it, I understand," he reassured.

"But wasn't it sort of lonely going by yourself?" Fukuda asked.

"Nope not at all, that's because Aka-" Furihata stopped his sentence. _I can't tell them that I was with Akashi! What do I say? I already said half of his name!_

"Aka?" Kawahara questioned.

"U-Um Aka as in uh..." _Think of something Kouki!_

To his relief Hyuga walked by the trio, "The second years are going to the Okonomiyaki restaurant to celebrate. Kuroko and Kagami agreed to come already and I was wondering if you guys want to come too."

"Celebrate? What's the occasion?" Fukuda asked.

"Why does there have to be an occasion? Is it not okay for the whole Seirin team to go out together once in a while?" Hyuga snapped.

"S-Sorry! But yeah I'll come with you guys." The trio all agreed and went to the locker rooms to change.

 _Geez that was a close one!_ Furihata thought, _Thank you Hyuga senpai for coming at the right time!_ After changing into his school uniform, he ran out of the locker room and gym with his two friends and met up with the rest of the team. While walking to the Okonomiyaki restaurant with the team Furihata felt a buzz in his pocket. He took his phone out and looked at the name.

[Akashi Seijuro]

 _It's Akashi! Why is he texting me?_ He suddenly remembered the conversation on the train from last night. _Oh yeah he told me about wanting to go to a restaurant with me some day._ Flipping his phone open, he went to read the text message.

 **From: Akashi Seijuro**

 _[As promised, we will meet at restaurant called Mizako on Sunday at 6pm.]_

 _Mizako? Isn't that some kind of fancy restaurant!? I can't afford that! How do I respond?_ Slowly pushing the key pad on his phone, he managed to type a response.

 _[I'm sorry but I don't have money to eat there.]_

He was about to close his phone but another message came.

 _[No worries, I will pay for you. It's a thank you gift for taking me to the aquarium yesterday. I'll see you Sunday]_

 _Seriously?! I can't do that! This is the second time that he's paying for me. I want to refuse but he's probably already set on his answer. Arrgh! Good job Kouki, you're letting people spend money on you! I have to treat him again next time I guess._ Typing a thank you reply he was about to press send but was abruptly pulled back by his uniform's collar making it choke him.

"Gah!" He felt a burst of wind in front of him making him realize that a car flew past right in front of him. Looking behind him, he saw Kagami holding his collar with an irritated face.

"Oi what are you doing?" he said.

"Huh? I-I was..."

"Furihata!" It was coach Riko, "Pay attention to where you walk! Be thankful that Kagami pulled you back or that car would have squashed you! This is why we don't text and walk at the same time."

Looking around his surroundings, he realized they were waiting at a stoplight to cross the street. He probably kept walking while the light was still red to cross. _Geez did I almost just die?_

Feeling movement on his collar, he saw that Kagami released it. _Kagami is a freaking lifesaver!_ "U-Um thank you Kagami heh heh..." _For some reason getting choked by my uniform feels like Déjà vu._

"Yeah, just be careful next time," was his reply.

The stoplight turned green and they continued walking crossing the street. Furihata quickly sent his reply and hoped that Akashi didn't reply back or he could get in trouble again. _Why is it that every time I want to avoid trouble the exact opposite happens to me?_ He was mentally cursing to himself for the umpteenth time while being unaware of a person walking next to him. He was brought back to his senses when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Eek!" he jumped at the sudden touch. He looked down left of him to see Kuroko looking up at him with a blank stare. _Phew! I thought I was going to die for a second._ "Y-Yes Kuroko?"

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"It was just that you looked miserable after that incident where you almost died."

 _Way to but it so bluntly..._ " I was just punishing myself mentally, there's no need to worry."

"Please don't do that to yourself Furihata-kun, it was just an accident. We all understand that you were probably talking to someone important that you were unaware of your surroundings."

 _Someone important hmm? If only you knew who that person was._ "Thank you Kuroko, for not uh, yelling at me," he gave a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, but I am wondering who it was you were talking to. You seemed really happy considering that you were smiling"

"Um," _Crap what do I tell him? Wait did he just say I was smiling? No no no that's not true because I would have known right?_ "I was talking to uh..."

Kuroko seemed to catch the fact that Furihata was struggling to come up with a lie so he just played along with it, "It's alright Furihata-kun, I guess you can't go a few hours without talking to your mother."

"What?" _What the hell? Should I be offended?_ "Y-Yeah I guess you're right."

Kuroko smiled, "We should probably catch up or else they will yell at you again."

"Yeah of course!" Furihata quickened his steps along with Kuroko. He definitely did not was to be yelled at again. Any more and he would most likely cry and the last thing he wants is for his teammates to see that.

Once they reached the Okonomiyaki restaurant, the second years sat together while the first years were in their own group. Furihata wanted to enjoy eating but it was difficult when Kagami kept yelling at Kuroko and Kuroko making snide remarks with no emotion in response. Ignoring the shadow and light the trio just talked about the most random things anyone could call it. It was mainly between Fukuda and Kawahara with Furihata joining sometimes but for the most part, he just quietly ate his food listening to his friend's conversation.

When everyone was finished, they all met outside at the front doors for the coach to make an announcement.

"Alright guys," she began, "We have one week before this school year is over and onto spring break. I plan on doing a training camp into the mountains during the spring break so be prepared for extra training!"

All the guys except for Kuroko just groaned in misery thinking about what is to come next week.

"Well now that's announced be sure to tell your parents. That's all for now and I shall see you guys tomorrow."

Everyone dispersed and started heading back to their homes. The trio stayed together since they sort of live near each other. With Kawahara and Fukuda talking to each other Furihata was in his own thoughts.

 _Is it just going to be me an Akashi alone again? What am I supposed to say to him? He doesn't seem like the person to keep a conversation going so does that mean I have to start first? Since we're eating at a fancy restaurant does that mean I have to wear fancy clothes?! I'm totally going to look out of place!_ He sighed having a mass amount of questions running through his brain. He was still slightly nervous being around Akashi but it wasn't as much as it was during their first meeting at Winter Cup. _I hope I don't screw up._

His thoughts were broken when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He stopped walking catching the attention of his two friends. He bent over and put his right hand over his chest trying to feel what was wrong. He suddenly started coughing harshly making Fukuda and Kawahara run to his side.

"Furihata what's wrong?" Fukuda asked worriedly putting his hand on Furihata's back.

Furihata's coughing started simmering down along with the pain in his chest. _Geez what was that about? That just came out of nowhere!_ Turning back to his friends, he responded with a raspy voice, "Sorry guys, I just had a dry throat and had the sudden urge to cough. Don't worry though because I'm fine now" He lied about coughing from dry throat because his throat was completely fine until after he was coughing.

"Are you sure?" Kawahara asked skeptically.

"Yes I'm fine now. I just need to get home quickly and take some cough medicine or something." With that, he started running ahead of them to get home faster. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" he shouted looking back at his friend's questioning faces then faced back forward rushing home.

Reaching his home and entering inside, he saw his mom sitting and the couch glaring at him. "Where were you? You never called me saying you had to do something after your basketball practice," Hana demanded crossing her arms.

"I'm really sorry mom! It's just that the Seirin team asked me to go with them to eat at the Okonomiyaki restaurant all of a sudden," he answered.

"It still doesn't hurt to call you know...I was worried," she muttered looking down.

"I forgot! I'm really really sorry please forgive me!" he begged not wanting to see his mother's saddened face. Remembering what he needed to do he asked ,"By the way where's the cough medicine?"

Hana glared back at him in suspicion, "Why do you ask? Are you sick? Is it-," she quickly shook her head abandoning the thought then relaxed, "Never mind the medicine is in the bathroom cabinet."

Furihata raised an eyebrow and her actions but left the room anyways. He wanted to go to sleep since it was almost 9pm. Reaching the bathroom he opened the cabinet on the wall and took out the cough medicine. He took the necessary amount and swallowed it then washing away the bad taste with the sink water. He quickly brushed his teeth then went to his room changing out of his uniform and slipping into his pajamas. After carefully pushing his sleeping cat Hoshi aside, he flopped onto his bed and buried his face into his pillow drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Four days had passed now and Furihata stood in front of his mirror in his room examining himself. _Is this really okay?_ He was wearing a white collared shirt with a grey-buttoned cardigan over it along with black jeans. He wasn't even sure if it was considered formal, he just didn't want to wear a plain looking t-shirt to a fancy restaurant and look extremely out of place. A bit satisfied with his choice of clothes he picked up his phone to check the time. It was 5:32 pm meaning that he had to leave now. Putting it in his pocket, he went downstairs to the door and put his shoes on.

His mother came from behind staring at him in confusion, "Ara? Kouki where are you going?" she asked.

Startled from the unexpected noise he turned around, "U-Um I'm just going to eat somewhere with someone." He opened the door to show his mother he was in a hurry because he did notwant Akashi to wait for him fearing that the red head could kill him for making him wait for even five seconds.

"What's with the clothes? Wait don't tell me, you're going on a date!" Hana's lips grew into a wide smile.

"W-What?! No! I'm just going with Akashi, you know the one from dinner last week?"

"Ah your friend! In that case tell him I said hello!" her smile now grew into a grin.

"He's not my f-friend..." he muttered. _Actually, I'm not even sure if he considers someone like me a friend._ "Anyways I have to go, I'll be home sometime after 7pm." After listening to his mother's farewell, he went out the door and headed to the Mizako restaurant.

Reaching the front doors of the restaurant, he saw a person in a suit standing by a podium with a binder on it. _So this is one of those places where reservations need to be placed before coming. I was never aware of this! Did Akashi make one? Oh god please be true! I don't want to embarrass myself knowing that my name's not in that binder._ Scratching the back of his head in nervousness, he slowly walked up to the guy standing in front of the open doors.

"U-Um e-excuse me..." he began.

"Hm?" The waiter raised an eyebrow in question as he looked at Furihata. His eyes searched him up and down as if he was judging him.

 _He probably thinks I'm some lowly peasant!_ "I-Is my name in there?" he asked pointing to the binder.

"Name?" the waiter blandly asked opening the binder and waiting for the answer.

"F-Furihata Kouki sir..."

The waiter looked back at the boy with a perplexed look, "Furihata Kouki you say?"

"Y-Yes sir."

"And you are joining with Akashi-san ?"

"Yes...?" _So Akashi did make a reservation! Phew what a relief!_

"I see then, I assumed you were playing some kind of joke, my sincere apologies young man." He bowed in respect, "Akashi-san is waiting for you inside already, he's located on the left side." He turned and pointed his hand towards the open doors motioning him to go in.

 _He really does think I'm some kind of peasant!_ "Thanks..." Furihata responded allowing himself into the fancy restaurant. He checked the time on his phone to see that it was 5:54pm. _Akashi came early! Oh no then that must mean he must have been waiting for me! I knew I should have left earlier!_ After a bit of walking he found the red head sitting at a silk covered table with one elbow propped up leaning his face on the back of his hand and his other hand toying with a...shogi piece? Before he could make sure of the object, Akashi noticed him standing there.

"Good afternoon Furihata," Akashi greeted as he waved his hand towards Furihata to come and sit. He was wearing a dark grey dress shirt with a red tie and black dress pants.

Furihata hurriedly came and sat on the leather seat without question. He looked at his surroundings noticing the white chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the expensive looking furniture. The setting was nice and quiet with people enjoying their food but he couldn't help but feel out of place. _This is too much! I was fine with going somewhere much cheaper like Maji Burger..._ He snapped out of his thoughts when Akashi spoke to him.

"You look quite astonished," he smirked.

"O-Of course I'm astonished. I've never been to a place like this." _Didn't he say he used to come here a lot? Just how rich is he?!_ His eyes widen at a realization, "I-I'm sorry for making you wait on me..."

Akashi sighed after seeing it how pointless it was to remind him that there's no need to apologize. "It's fine Furihata, I needed to come earlier anyways to let the waiter at the front know about you coming here."

"I-I see..." he mumbled.

Thankfully a waiter, or more like a chef considering he was wear a white uniform and hat, came to take their orders, "Akashi-san how nice to see you again! It makes me delighted to know you still come here after moving to Kyoto."

"It's nice to meet you again, Jukodo. Of course I would come back to my favorite place to eat out. No one serves the best tofu soup than here."

"Ah so the usual I see! Very well then I shall prepare it with more care just for you Akashi-san." Having just noticed the other guest he turned to Furihata, "And for you uh...sir?"

Furihata stared at the chef in panic. _I didn't read the menu! Crap what do I say?! Should I look through the menu really quick? They're both looking at me! What if I ask about my favorite dish?_ "D-Do you have any o-omurice?" _Please have it!_

The chef, Jukodo, glanced and Akashi then back to Furihata raising an eyebrow, "We don't serve it... but we do have the ingredients so I guess I could make an exception."

"Thank you Jukodo, it's just that he didn't have time to have a look at the menu," Akashi commented, "And for drinks we'll both be having water."

"Of course Akashi-san! I'll be right back with your orders," Jukodo grinned as he took the menus from the table and went to the kitchen.

Silence fell upon the two students and Furihata felt like it was killing him. Having the courage he decided to speak up, "Jukodo-san seems...nice."

The small smile that Akashi had disappeared instantly, "He's only that way because he wants the money."

"A-Ah..." _Wow nice going Kouki way to start a conversation! What else can I say without ticking him off?_ He was unaware of himself fidgeting in his seat looking down at his lap.

Akashi with his keen eyes noticed that Furihata was still uncomfortable with everything going around him. At this point, he wondered why he even invited him. He could have said farewell after having dinner at his house and never see him again. He only kept trying because he seemed like the only person he had time for ever since he started trying to avoid his father. Furihata caught his stare directed to him and only started being more nervous. Getting a little tired of seeing his timorous personality, he decided to speak up.

"Furihata"

"Eep!" Furihata jumped to Akashi's stern voice, "Y-Yes?"

"Why are you frightened of me? I don't see any reason for you to be a nervous wreck every time you're around me. I haven't even done anything wrong to you yet you are always shaking and stuttering around me. I won't and never will hurt you so just relax. It disheartens me when you act like that because of me"

Furihata's eyes widened. _Now I've done it. I made Akashi snap at me for my behavior. But...he's right, he didn't do anything wrong. He just wanted to hang around me and I acted as if I wanted to run away from him. What a terrible person I am..._ He slapped his hands on his face trying to hide his shame. _I seriously need to apologize to him._ "I..." _Don't you freaking dare stutter Kouki!_ "I..." _And look him in the eyes!_ He removed his hands off his face and looked at Akashi who was still staring at him. "I sincerely apologize for my behavior around you Akashi. I promise I won't act like I did earlier anymore ...but I understand if you don't want to hang around me anymore. I'm really, really sorry." He did a slight bow now staring at the table to deepen his apology.

Akashi's eyes slightly widened at the change in Furihata. He opened his mouth to respond but was cut off to the sound of chef Jukodo.

"Sorry for the long wait but your foods are prepared," he spoke setting the plates on the table. "Is there anything else you young men need?"

"Thank you Jukodo but that is all from us," Akashi replied with slight irritation in his voice from the interruption.

Jukodo being oblivious to the tone of Akashi's voice gave an uncanny smile, "You're very welcome, and the bill will come to you after 30 minutes or earlier if you ask one of the waiters, farewell." He left leaving them alone again.

Furihata was staring at his beautifully made omurice in awe until he remembered the conversation he had with Akashi. He hesitantly looked up meeting the eyes of the red head. He never received a response but Akashi already started giving one.

"Furihata, I accept you apology. I...apologize for calling you out like that but I felt the need to do it or the problem would've continued."

Furihata frantically waved his hands in front of his face, "N-No-," he halted and put his hands down on his lap before he continued, "No...you were right about me. I should've realized it made you feel that way and...I thank you for forgiving me despite all what happened. I truly am sorry though." He looked back down onto the table with guilt washed over his face.

Akashi gave a smile, "Furihata what have I told you about apologizing so much?"

Furihata's face now covered in shock realized he forgot about Akashi always telling him that, "S-So-," he paused once more before softly replying, "I'll...refrain from doing it so much."

 _He's learning,_ Akashi thought.

The two ate their dinner in silence, no words were exchanged as they concentrated on eating their meals. For once, Furihata actually enjoyed the comforting silence between each other as he happily ate his omurice.

After eating, the bill was brought to their table. Furihata took out his wallet, "Um Akashi I can pay for half..." he offered while taking money out.

"No I'm paying for all of it," Akashi interjected.

"What? Are you sure? It's kind of expensive though..."

Akashi didn't reply but instead took out money from his own wallet and placed it on the table. He stood up with Furihata following after and replied, "Yes, it's fine. Now come I'm taking you home." He didn't wait for Furihata's reply as he started walking towards outside.

Furihata managed to catch up outside and walked next to Akashi. "W-Wait you don't have to do that! I can walk home by myself, besides you live farther away so shouldn't you be heading to the train station?"

"It's dark and it's my responsibility for your safety. It's common courtesy to walk someone home anyways," Akashi stated.

Furihata merely sighed. _There's no use in arguing. I'll just let him do what he wants without question._ They walked in silence once again but this time he felt a bit uneasy. _Oh yeah I have to thank him for treating me! How can I forget?!_ Looking at Akashi he quietly spoke, "Thanks for today Akashi, I really liked it." He didn't realize he was smiling when saying that.

Akashi stared at him from the side before he looked back ahead and smiled, "You're welcome, I too enjoyed it myself."

That response made Furihata happier before replying, "T-Then we should hang out again." _Wait did I seriously just jay that?!_

Those words seemed to have affected Akashi because he stopped walking and looked at him. Furihata stopped too and caught the look, "Um I-I mean we don't have to! It's up to you..."

Akashi didn't make any move and stayed silent for a moment before answering with a smile, "I'd like that."

"Really?" Furihata asked surprised.

"Yes, where should we go next time?"

 _This is a perfect chance to make up for Akashi coming to Tokyo all the time._ "How about we go somewhere in Kyoto?"

Akashi raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I mean you always come to Tokyo to see me and I just wanted to return the favor. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes that's fine with me." _Father has been getting on my case as to why I've been in Tokyo recently._ "What do you want to do there?"

"I don't really know since I've never been there... Do you know any places?"

Akashi put his curled right index finger on his lips and pondered for a moment. "How about...the amusement park?"

"The amusement park?" _I haven't been to one in years!_ "Yeah that sounds great!" Furihata balled his fists in excitement just thinking about the rides and games there is to come. "But can we go sometime after spring break in April?"

"I was just about to say that actually. I'll be busy during the spring break so early April would be fine."

"Yeah I'll be busy during spring break too because I have basketball training camp heh heh..." Furihata failed to notice the slight twitch in Akashi's shoulders.

"Ah, I bet you'll have a fun time then."

They continued their walking in silence and this time Furihata was more at ease. They were getting close to his house because they were now by a park with a street basketball court. Furihata eyed the court, _I haven't played there in a while. I guess I don't have time because of all that training in the gym and being extremely tired to do anything else. I mean the Inter High is in the summer so we need all the training we can get. I wonder how Akashi is doing with his team._ With that in mind, he decided to ask, "Um Akashi? How is everything going with your basketball team?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure they're doing fine."

"Y-You don't know?" _What does that mean?_

Akashi stopped walking once again and faced Furihata. _Should I tell him? He doesn't seem to be the person to overly react like Kuroko or the rest of the Generation of Miracles if I told them. But he is in the same team with Kuroko and Kagami and the word could spread out to them from Furihata. He seems trustworthy enough though from all the time I've spent with him._ "Furihata, I do not know because I quit the basketball team right after the Winter Cup ended."

Furihata was speechless. He was unable to say anything as he stared at Akashi with wide eyes. _He...he WHAT?!_ Seeing that nothing was happening as instead it was like a staring contest he managed to speak, "Y-You...why?"

"My father made me quit because I didn't get first place. We made a promise that I could continue playing basketball as long as I win but since that didn't happen in the Winter Cup I was forced to quit. I don't blame him though since I was the first Rakuzan captain to lead my team to a place that's not first."

Once again speechless all Furihata did was stare at the ground. _He had to quit...because Seirin won?_ A wave of guilt flooded through him. He knew that people were bummed out to the point of crying from losing a match but having to quit because you're unable to keep promise because of him and his team made him feel...awful. _I was extremely happy when my team won but now that I know the result of Akashi's loss, winning the Winter Cup doesn't feel so rewarding anymore._ He clenched his fists at the thought.

Akashi noticing the movement of Furihata spoke again, "If you're going to pity me then don't, I knew the consequences and I moved on." It was a lie, he didn't move on. Every time he passed by the basketball gym at his school he always felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Furihata wrinkled his nose in anger. _Moved on? How is he okay with this?_ "Akashi, are you seriously fine with this?"

Akashi tensed for a split second but relaxed. "I am fine with this Furihata."

Luckily, Furihata was able to catch Akashi's tensing body this time. _He's not okay with it._ His eyes darted back to where the street basketball once more then turned back to Akashi before grabbing his wrist and dragged him to the court.

Akashi startled by the sudden grip questioned, "What are you doing? Please let go of my wrist."

He wanted to let go in fear of Akashi possibly punching him but his mind focused on another thing at hand. "We're going to play basketball."

Akashi wondered why he didn't just yank his hand away yet, "Did you not hear what I just said earlier? I'm not allowed to play basketball. Now let go of me," he ordered.

Furihata flinched at the tone in Akashi's voice but continued nonetheless. "Y-You're not okay with it. I can tell. Just because you can't play at school that doesn't mean you can't play outside of school."

He was right, his father only said he couldn't play at his school anymore. He was just so frustrated that he threw his personal basketball in the trash and avoided the whole thing all together.

Now on the basketball court Furihata released his wrist, "S-Sorry for grabbing you wrist and dragging you all of a sudden."

Akashi ignored his apology and asked, "Why are you doing this? And beside we can't even play because we don't have a ball."

Furihata looked at the ground solemnly, "I-I just wanted to help out..." He turned to his left and jogged to a line of bushes next to the court. He pushed his hands in the bushes and felt around a bit before pulling out a basketball. "This ball is mine, I always leave it here because I had habit of forgetting it at my house when I'm already out here." He jogged back to Akashi and held out the ball in front of him.

Akashi stared at the ball skeptically. In truth, he wanted to snatch the ball and just start playing. It's only been a week since he last touched a ball but to him it felt like years. Before doing anything he asked, "Are you sure about this?" After receiving a nod from the brunette he took that ball in his hand relishing the feeling.

In Furihata's eyes, it looked as if Akashi was holding a baby for the first time. Seeing the smile on the red head's face told him he had made the right decision. "Y-You can play by yourself if you want while I'll just watch. I'm probably no match for you anyways." He turned to go take a seat at the bench but was stopped by a grip on his wrist.

"No, you had to nerve to drag me here to play and now you're going to play with me," Akashi ordered.

"O-Okay..." _He's so demanding!_ "But I'm not that great of a player so it probably won't be as fun for you."

Akashi shook his head, "Nonsense, you only say you're not a great player because you haven't forced yourself to become better. Now come, I'll give you a few pointers while we're at it. We can play to 10 points." He shifted his body into his playing position.

"Okay if you say so..." Furihata shifted his body into his defense position and the one on one started.

In the end, the score was 10:1 with Akashi winning. Furihata bent over with his hands on his knees panting, his hair was partially wet from the sweat on his face and neck. He looked over to see Akashi standing normally with the ball in his hand. There were a few sweat drops on his face but it wasn't anywhere close to the mass amount of sweat on Furihata.

"You did better than before when we faced off in the Winter Cup," Akashi spoke as he walked over to Furihata.

"R-Really?" Furihata asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, though there are plenty of things that need to be worked on, just keep the advice I gave you in mind."

"Thanks, and I will." He looked back down and after a bit of silence he chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?" Akashi stared at him in confusion.

"Sorry, it's just that I haven't felt this much thrill in a while," he paused briefly to catch his breath, "You see, I usually play by myself most of the time. Rarely my friends Kawahara and Fukuda come but that's because they're usually focused on other things. Kuroko and Kagami play together a lot but I just don't have the courage to ask them." He scratched his head in irritation, "Arrgh it's so hard to explain it. I'm sorry for just blurting that all out."

"I get where you're coming from. I used to play by myself when I'm not at the gym."

"Heh I guess you could say I feel sort of...lonely..." Realizing what he said Furihata looked back to Akashi and panicked, "U-Um I m-mean I'm some sort of person that b-begs for attention or anything-!" he was stopped when a hand was gently place on his shoulder.

"Furihata, it's alright. I'm alone most of time too because of the way I live. Don't look down on yourself because of it," Akashi cooed.

Furihata's eyes widened as he stared at Akashi. _Somehow he..._ a smile graced his face as he nodded, "Yeah"... _reminds me of him._ Suddenly getting an idea he decided to ask, "Is it okay to um...if we can p-play together sometime again?" The gaze Akashi gave him started to make him feel as if he should've never asked. About to continue saying to forget about it Akashi replied.

"I'd love to."

Surprised by those words Furihata hesitantly asked, " R-Really? Are you sure? I mean we don't have to if-"

"No, I want to play with you again someday." The look Furihata gave Akashi still looked in doubt so he assured him, "I promise we'll be able to play again someday."

Furihata's faced looked like a child that's been given a birthday present of something they've always asked for. "Really?! Thank you!" he bubbled.

Akashi gave him a comforting smile, "You're welcome, now let's finish taking you home because it's gotten darker." He walked to the bushes Furihata went to earlier and hid the basketball inside it. Walking back, they continued their walk to Furihata's house.

A few minutes later while walking Akashi broke the silence, "Please don't tell anyone that I quit the basketball team." It was more of an order, but it had a slight pleading tone to it.

Furihata looked at him, "O-Okay I won't... but why not?"

"Because if they find out there's going to be hounds of questions for me, especially from my former teammates from middle school."

"But won't they find out later? From the Inter High most likely?"

"True, but right now I don't think I can face them. At least I'll be ready by the time that comes."

Furihata no longer questioned him as he looked back ahead of him, "I promise to keep it a secret then."

Now in front of the house Furihata asked, "Do you want to come inside for a while?"

Akashi shook his head, "No thanks, your mother would probably force me to stay the night, besides I need to take the train."

"O-Oh yeah I forgot heh heh." After mentally cursing himself again he continued, "I'll see you again in April then?"

"Yes, I'll text you the details about the amusement park after the spring break." He turned around while looking back and waved, "See you later," and with that, he walked away and headed towards the train station.

"See you then!" Furihata hollered waving his hand until Akashi was out of his sight. Giving out a tired sigh, he opened the door and entered his house. After taking off his shoes and shouting an 'I'm home' he walked to the living room to see his mom on the couch watching T.V.

Hana noticing Furihata stood up and walked towards him. "Welcome home Kouki," she spoke as she hugged him.

Patting his mother's back he replied, "Yeah thanks, but you don't have to hug me though."

Hana pulled out of the hug and placed her hands on his shoulders, "You came later than what you told me before you left. I began to worry about you."

"Ah sorry about that heh heh..."

"Ara? And why is your hair partially wet? What did you do, go swimming?"

"N-No of course not! I just played basketball with Akashi that's all. O-Of course we also went to eat before that though."

Hana merely gave a blank stare. Furihata shifted uncomfortably, "What? Is something wrong?"

Forming a grin Hana shook her head, "No everything is fine. Now go wash up, you reek!" She turned him around and pushed him to the stairs despite his protests. Reaching there, she watched Furihata walk up the set of stairs and into the bathroom. Even with the brunette out of sight Hana stood there with folded arms and a light smile on her face before turning and walking back to the couch.

Akashi exited the Kyoto train station and sighted a sleek black car parked with his chauffeur standing next to it. Walking towards the car, the chauffeur opened the door letting him climb inside. The ride to the Akashi mansion was quiet until the chauffeur spoke, "Akashi sir is everything prepared for your trip to America on Thursday?"

"Of course, I packed everything I needed last week." With the chauffeur giving a nod in response, no more words were exchanged. Placing his elbow on the door and resting his cheek on his fist Akashi looked out the window staring at the passing lights of buildings and other vehicles. He thought about the game he played with Furihata and the conversation they had. _Playing again huh..._ he subconsciously smiled remembering the promise he made. _It seems I will have to give Kuroko and the others a call about a certain event coming._

* * *

 **A/N:** Well there ya have it guys! Now you know what to expect in the next chapter. There's going to be a time skip to where they just become second years. Right after spring break a new school year starts early April. It's just a heads up!

Some explanations on some Japanese words- If you don't know what Okonomiyaki is just watch that one KnB episode where Kuroko found the dog. The Seirin team ate there along with Kise and Midorima. Omurice is literally an omelette stuffed with fried rice usually topped with ketchup.

I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes and if any of the characters are OOC. I try my best. Well until the next chapter next week, goodbye for now!

Reviews are appreciated! They help keep me motivated! :D -Momo


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** This is finally done! I'm so sorry that I didn't upload it sooner considering it's the start of a new week (Sunday) already. I stayed up ALL NIGHT finishing this and it's already 5 a.m. I have a massive headache around my eyes from staring at my computer screen but at least I got the chapter. *dies*

To the reviewer CALIC0- I will add some Rakuzan scenes (specifically the 3 Uncrowned Kings) later on so don't worry. ;) Your kind words really make me happy, thank you. :)

Shout out to Lunatic Synthesia/ Rhymos-Ethereal for reviewing ever chapter! You rock! :D

THANK YOU for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! My heart flutters in joy to know that people read my story. :')

Okay I'm going to get rid of this headache I have and go to sleep. I hope you guys like it! :) -Momo

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke! It belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi!

* * *

"Alright guys!" Riko yelled after blowing her whistle, "There will be a ten minute break! Good work!"

All the Seirin guys minus Kuroko groaned after finishing their exercises. They quickly ran to the benches to grab their water bottles. Furihata, Fukuda, and Kawahara separated from the rest of the team and went to a corner of the gym. The Seirin team was using a gym located on top of a forested mountain thanks to Kagetora, Riko's father.

Fukuda and Kawahara sat down while Furihata fell on his knees then face landed on the floor with a thud. "O-Oi Furihata that looked and sounded like it hurt," Fukuda mentioned.

The brunette just gave a groan in response. It did hurt, a lot actually, but he couldn't care any less. This intense training or whatever the coach calls it was killing him. Knowing that there's going to be more hell after the break he sort of wished that his knees were damaged so he couldn't participate anymore. It was only the second day of the spring break training and there were four more days left. Groaning again at the thought he pushed himself into a sitting position facing the other two and drank from his water bottle.

"I wonder what I would be doing if we didn't have to do this?" Fukuda wondered to himself.

"I was supposed to visit my auntie but unfortunately I'm here," Kawahara answered, "What about you Furihata?"

"Mmm I actually don't know. I'd probably be at home playing games," Furihata answered with an embarrassing smile.

"Ah how I wish I could do that!"

"After this spring break we should play games! What do you say guys?" Fukuda asked.

Furihata gave him a small smile, "Sorry but I think I'll pass this time."

"I'll join you Fukuda," Kawahara beamed.

Leaving his two friends to discuss about games Furihata just stared at his water bottle in thought. _I wonder what Akashi is doing for spring break. I forgot to ask him last time. I hope he's having a better time than me._ His thoughts where broken by the coach's whistle.

"Break time is over! Head outside because we're going to play cops and robbers in the forest next!" Riko yelled.

 _You've got to be kidding me!_ Getting up with a groan Furihata sluggishly walked towards the gym doors following the rest of the members.

* * *

In an estate located in the outskirts of New York Akashi stood outside on the balcony looking over the lights of the city. His glass of dark red nonalcoholic wine held in his hands occasionally held up for him to drink. He went to the United States with his father because of business discussions. It was common to attend these even though it was his father mainly doing all the talking; he was there for show and to entertain the other guests. Only this time there was an actual reason for him being here and he can already tell what that reason was. He didn't have much thought on this whole event other than it being extremely boring and tiring. His father said that the person he was supposed to meet should be coming to the lounge in a few minutes. Not wanting to be late, he finished the last of his drink and headed inside towards the lounge.

After passing through the hall of people wanting to speak to him and having to make excessive excuses he finally reached the lounge. Upon entering, he spotted his father sitting on a sofa next to another man that looked his age and next to the stranger was a young lady that was most likely in her late teens. They both had white, almost silver, hair so he figured they were related. Walking up to the three he bowed to them in respect.

"Ah Seijuro," his father started. He stretched out his palm out to Akashi, "This is my son, Akashi Seijuro."

After the two guest nodded in response his father shifted is palm towards the two, "This gentleman here is Shiroki Kenta, he is the owner of the Shiroki business and his daughter next to him is Shiroki Yuna."

Akashi shook both of their hands while responding, "It's a pleasure to meet you two."

"Now," his father continued," Shiroki and I have formed an agreement to expand the Akashi business to the U.S and work alongside with Shiroki's."

Akashi nodded in understanding he when he knew what was coming next.

"And to make the decision finalized we both agreed to have you and Shiroki Yuna be engaged."

The two teens eyed each other, red eyes meeting teal ones.

"Now that message is cleared, how about you take lady Shiroki hear and get to know her more," his father offered but to Akashi, it was an order.

"It would be a pleasure to do so," Akashi offered his hand out for young lady to take. She blushed slightly as she took his hand to stand up. Walking away from the two adults, they passed by the other guests and went to the balcony he was at earlier. After reaching there, he let go of her hand.

To start up a conversation he spoke first, "Your estate is really lovely Shiroki," he plastered on a tender smile.

"Ah...well," she avoided his gaze and handled the railing, "T-Thank you...I like it a lot more than the one I used to live in back in Japan."

 _She's faking her shyness,_ was the first thing Akashi thought. He decided not to call her out and instead let her keep up her act. "There's no need to be shy, we're engaged after all, so let's get comfortable in each other's presence."

Shiroki put a lock of hair behind her hair, "Y-Yeah you're right. I'm sorry about that Akashi-san." She kept her gaze over the crowded city far out. "It really is beautiful out tonight hm?"

"It is," Akashi replied with a bored tone. He felt something on his right shoulder and looked to see Shiroki leaning her head against it. _Don't touch me,_ was what he wanted to say but kept quiet as he stared at the city.

He knew something like being engaged to some random person was to be expected. As heir to the Akashi Corporation, he was needed to help expand their business by being in an arranged marriage of someone to the heir of another corporation. He knew it was inevitable but he didn't expect for all this to be happening while he was still a teenager. It's ridiculous how his father put him up to all this at a young age.

His thoughts were were disrupted when a knock and an opening of the sliding glass door was opened to reveal a maid, particularly Shiroki's maid. "Shiroki-san, you father has requested for you to being playing the piano for all the guests."

"Oh it's that time already?" she responded, "Then I guess I better hurry. Come on Akashi I'll let you get a good seat near me," without warning she took Akashi's hand into hers and escorted her way inside.

Akashi took note of her cold hand. Not only was his father ridiculous but this whole event was just the same. _How troublesome._ He was definitely not looking forward to spending the rest of the spring break in the Shiroki household at all.

* * *

 _Two weeks later..._

Furihata laid on his bed with his back to the mattress and one hand behind his head and the other petting his cat, Hoshi, who was sleeping soundly on his stomach. He stared at the ceiling in thought, _Seriously? All this work after a week of school?_ Spring break had already ended and the start of a new school year returned. Furihata and all the other first years now became second years and his senpais in the basketball club were third years. Since winning the Winter Cup it was thought that there would be a flood of new first years but that wasn't the case anymore because there were only four new people. With classes, he already received a ridiculous amount of work within the week. Being the natural procrastinator, he left his homework in his bag and laid on his bed instead. He made a mental excuse saying that he needed to spend more time with Hoshi because he's been neglecting her for a while and if his mother ever found out she would say it was total nonsensical.

His thoughts on how much school sucked were interrupted when the phone located on his desk was ringing. Jolting in surprise resulting in his cat waking up he gently place her on his bed and made his way to his phone. Picking it up and looking at the caller I.D, it read ' _Akashi Seijuro'._ Answering right away in fear of him getting impatient and already having an idea on what it was for he spoke, "Hello?"

" _Hello Furihata, I was calling to discuss about the date for going to the amusement park."_

His idea being right he responded, "Well maybe we could go Sunday? I don't think it would be a good idea going on a school day. I-I mean unless you want to go on a school day! It's your decision you know?"

" _I called wanting to know your decision, Furihata. Actually, Sunday is a perfect day since I tend to have homework after school. I always finish it the day it's assigned so I'll be available all day Sunday,"_ the red head stated coolly.

"Yes that's a perfect day!" Furihata replied a little too quickly, "Should we just meet up there?"

" _I can pick you up if you want."_

"What!? N-No don't do that! It would be kind of frivolous for you having to come all the way here just to go back."

" _You have a point there; we shall meet there at 5pm. The address is 'xxxxxx'."_

"Yes, of course," after bidding goodbye to Akashi, Furihata went to mark the event on his calendar. He was slightly excided to go because it had been some years since he last went with his parents. He walked to go back and lie on his bed but stopped when he eyed his school bag. _Didn't Akashi say that he does his homework the day he receives them? He must be really dedicated to his studies. Maybe I should trying doing that._ Instead of going back to his bed, he picked his homework out of his bag and went to his desk to work on it. After about 20 minutes, he scratched his head in frustration. _I don't get it at all!_

* * *

As days passed as it was now Sunday, Akashi stood in his room in front of his mirror. He decided to wear more casual clothes to blend in more with the people because he didn't feel like standing out. Finishing his changes, he looked at his phone sitting on his bed. He had to leave it in is room so no one could track him while being out. When he told his father about leaving the house, he was immediately against it, not as if he wasn't surprised about it. He was sure he was going to be in a lot of trouble but he could live with it. He made a promise to someone and he was going to keep it. Taking only his wallet, he walked out of his room and silently went out the house. Walking some distance, he found his chauffer standing by the black vehicle out of view from the house. Already having the door open Akashi climbed in. He took notice of the look his chauffer was giving him, it was the look as if he wanted to speak but kept quiet.

Now driving to the destination Akashi decided to speak up and ask, "Nakahara may I use your phone for a bit?"

Nakahara looked into his rear view mirror to look at Akashi before focusing back on the road, "Yes...of course," he handed him his phone behind his seat.

"Thank you," Akashi flipped open the phone and created a new text message. Memorizing all the contact numbers he had he typed in Furihata's and typed.

 _[This is Akashi, I'm just using a different phone for the moment. Go to the front entrance where tickets are usually handed and wait by the large tree next to it.]_

Flipping the phone he handed it back to his chauffer and turned his attention to the window.

After some time he reached his destination as the car parked by the front entrance. Nakahara was about to open his door but Akashi interrupted him, "It's fine I can go out myself," he reassured.

Nakahara said nothing as he stayed in his seat. As Akashi was now standing outside he turned to his chauffer, "I will be calling you on someone else's cell phone when it's time to leave so expect an unfamiliar number." Nakahara merely nodded in response. As Akashi was about to close the door Nakahara spoke out to him.

"Akashi-san are you sure you're going to be fine?" he asked in concern.

"Do not fret Nakahara, I will be fine," Akashi smiled.

"You know what I mean. Your fa-"

"If you really want the truth Nakahara I'll tell you. I know that the consequences are inevitable but I'm going to do it whether that senile old man likes or not. In truth I will never be fine around him so at least respect my choices to be away even when I know what will come later."

His chauffer stared are him before reluctantly agreeing, "If that is what you wish I will not interfere."

Akashi smiled, "Thank you for always supporting me even when you want to disagree. I do not know how to repay you after all that you've done for me but I will forever be grateful. It delights me to know that you are still around."

Nakahara waves a hand, "No need to be so thankful Akashi-san, I 'm just glad to be of service for you. I mean after all you are Shiori-san's son," he grinned. Akashi's 62 year old chauffer, Nakahara, had been his mother's butler ever since she was an infant. He was also around during the birth of Akashi himself and cared for him when his parent's left for business trips. It was only when his mother died from her illness when his father demoted him to Akashi's chauffer. Even if he was just a driver, sometimes he helps the other servants and house cleaners despite their objections.

Akashi's smile grew wider, "Of course, but still, I mean every word I said. I must leave now so take care of yourself."

His chauffer laughed, "You better tell me that. I have to deal with your father's awful attitude when he finds out you've disappeared!"

"I'm...sorry you have to deal with his anger because of me. "

"Ah it's fine! He can't fire me yet. Now go so I can hurry back so he doesn't notice I was also out. Shoo!"

Akashi chuckled, "See you later then," with that, he closed the door and walked to meet Furihata.

* * *

Furihata stood under what he though was the biggest tree since he wasn't told there were other trees around. It was the one closest to the ticket booth so he was sure it was the right tree. _But what if it wasn't the right tree?_ He started doubting himself the location as he imagined an angry Akashi waiting for him as he was late from standing by the wrong tree the whole time. _Maybe I should look around..._ With that decision, he turned around to start walking but jumped when Akashi was right in front of him.

"Gah! A-Akashi you're here," he mentioned nervously. _Did he look for me because I was at a different tree?_

"You look nervous from seeing me," Akashi deadpanned.

"No uh... you just surprised me. Sorry that you had to come find me, I wasn't sure which tree I had to be under," Furihata looked down avoiding eye contact.

"What are you talking about? This is the right spot and I came to you because I just got here, pardon my lateness."

"No no it's fine!" _He was late? I never expected that of him._ "A-Anyways let's just buy the tickets."

The two waited in the jumbled line for what seemed like hours. When finally reaching the counter Akashi paid for both of them despite Furihata's objection. Now across the other side of the gate where there are assortments of rides and food counters they stood there in the opening.

"What do you want to do?" Furihata asked.

"Let's just walk around and go to whatever looks interesting to us," Akashi suggested.

They walked around watching the rides that made people scream for about 5 minutes. Furihata looked to the ground feeling uneasy. _Are we just going to walk around the whole time?_ Starting a conversation he asked, "Akashi is there any particular rides that you went on before and liked?"

"I've never been to these kinds of places before," the red head coolly stated.

"WHAT!?" Furihata yelled.

Akashi stopped walking and stared at him with his brows furrowed. "A response doesn't need to be yelled out."

"S-Sorry! Um I mean...it's just that it's surprising that you've never been to one before."

"My father never allowed it because he thought it was frivolous and unnecessary."

"But there's nothing wrong with having fun once in a while."

"I think our definition of fun are completely different."

"Then what do you do for 'fun'," Furihata asked.

"Shogi, chess, horseback riding, calligraphy- why are are you squinting?" Without warning Furihata grabbed Akashi's hand and started pulling him along. "What are you doing?"

"You have to try the rides!"

"Yes we will Furihata but you have to let go of my hand," he ordered.

Furihata stopped walking and retracted his hand away. "I-I'm so sorry! It's just that...that-"

"I understand that you want me to try it but there's need for rushing."

"Yeah...I didn't mean to drag you."

"It's alright. Now come, I think I saw a ride that caught my interest."

They were only able to go on one roller coaster ride because Akashi had felt sick and nauseated after riding it. The time after that consisted of Furihata lamenting apologies and Akashi becoming irritated having to repeat that it's fine. Instead of the rides, they went to playing booths instead and Furihata was amazed that Akashi had won every game. They had the option to select large stuffed animals but Akashi chose to get two cat keychains at one of the booths and declining prizes at the others. Furihata was happy enough with the keychain since he was too embarrassed carrying around a stuffed animal that was as large as he was. Next, they went to a break by to going food booths and ate yakitori and sweets. They sat on a bench that didn't have many people roaming around. They ate their food in a comfortable silence until Akashi spoke, "I am only able to stay for 30 more minutes until I have to go home."

"Hm?" Furihata paused his eating to look at Akashi, "That's fine with me."

"Is there anything else you want me to try before I leave? As long as I don't have to wait for 20 minutes in line"

"Those ridiculously long lines are only for the roller coaster rides," Furihata put a curled index finger on his lip, "Mmm I can't think of anything else so we can just stay here if you want."

"I see, that's most likely best since I have grown a bit tired."

Furihata faced forward and watched the other people enjoying their selves. He observed with a blank thought but it was all interrupted when he started coughing. Akashi looked at him, "Are you alright?"

After coughing harshly a few more times he responded, "Y-Yeah I'm fine now." _Geez my chest!_

"Here," Akashi handed Furihata his water bottle that he bought when looking for food.

"Thanks," after taking a swig of Akashi's water he handed it back.

The two quickly finished their food and stood up. Akashi had offered to just walk around until his time is up and Furihata agreed. While walking Furihata noticed something circular in his peripheral vision, turning his head he spotted the Ferris wheel. _How did I not notice that before?! That's the best part of the whole amusement park!_ Turning to Akashi he spoke, "Hey Akashi is it alright if we do one more thing?"

"Depends on what it is."

Furihata raised his hand and pointed to the direction of the Ferris wheel. "Can we go on that? I know it's really high at the top but it moves slowly so you won't get sick."

"I'll trust you words Furihata," they rushed to wait in line that was shorter than the other rides and after the wait they entered on of the carts. After sitting down and the doors were closed by an employee Akashi asked, "Is this safe?"

"Yes of course, if it wasn't then it wouldn't be operating."

Akashi furrowed his eyebrows, "I didn't ask for your attitude."

Furihata flinched, "S-Sorry! It was just the first thing that came to mind." After speaking, the wheel started to turn raising them higher in the air. It gave a few shakes resulting in Akashi going stiff. Furihata noticing this tried to reassure him, "Akashi it really is safe, besides even if this cart ever falls at least we'll both get hurt or possibly die heh heh."

Akashi shot Furihata a deadly glare, a clear sign that he was not amused at all. Furihata mentally face palmed himself as he looked out the window. The shift in mood made him uncomfortable and the silence was definitely not helping.

Reaching the very top the Ferris wheel came to a stop. _Out of all the times it stops, it has to stop while we're on it? Are you kidding me?_ Hesitantly turning his head he looked to see Akashi at the edge of his seat as he was close to the window staring out. His lips were slightly open as he gazed at the view of the many lights of Kyoto. He looked very intrigued at the sight below him that he was unaware of Furihata's staring.

 _He looks like a little kid,_ the thought made Furihata chuckle. The noise caught Akashi's attention as he turned to him, "Why are you laughing?" he asked.

Furihata panicked, "It's n-nothing! I was just thinking." He quickly looked out the window to look at the city view. _Waaa it's so pretty!_

"It is," Akashi commented.

Furihata stared at Akashi in bewilderment. _Did I say that out loud?_

Akashi catching on he continued, "Considering that confused look on your face you're questioning yourself and to answer you, no, you didn't say it out loud but the widening in your eyes said so otherwise."

"A-Ah I see..."

Akashi turned back to the window, "You know Furihata, I really had a great time."

"You did?" Furihata asked confoundedly.

Akashi nodded, "Yes, it's not something I can do all the time, especially when it comes to hanging out with others."

 _With others?_ That last word left Furihata questioning himself. He thought of the short conversation he had with his mother when Akashi left their house and he had denied her statement about it. He was confused as to what was between him and Akashi and now he wanted to make clear of it. He stared at his hands resting on his lap as they squeezed into fists. Searching for the right words, he voiced it out, "Akashi?"

"Hm?" Akashi didn't remove his eyes from the window.

"Are we...friends?"

That question made Akashi stare at him bewilderedly. "Friends?" he repeated.

Furihata slightly nodded avoiding his stare.

Akashi studied him. _He's anxious,_ he thought. He never thought of him being friends with the brunette but being asked that question made him think over all that happened between them some weeks ago. The only ones he considered friends were the rest of the Generation of Miracle plus Kuroko and the three Uncrowned Kings at his school. Then again, he never went to an aquarium museum, his favorite restaurant, an amusement park or something similar with them at all. He wouldn't deny to say that he enjoyed it with the brunette and that thought made him laugh.

Furihata jumped at the unexpected laughter, "W-What?"

"Pardon my laughing, I was just thinking some things over," Akashi's lips grew into a contented smile, "With all the events that we did together I'd say we are friends, good friends to be exact."

Furihata didn't know why but somehow Akashi's words made his heart flutter in joy. He couldn't even say anything in response.

The wheel had started to move again bringing them down to the ground. No words were exchanged even after they had left and walked to the front entrance. It was only when they stood under the same tree from hours ago when Akashi had asked if he could use his phone to make a call. After the standing under the tree for some time, he spotted the same black car from a month ago.

"My ride is here, would you like me to drop you off home?" Akashi offered.

Furihata sputtered for a bit before answering, "No I can take the train back home. Besides it's faster that way."

"That is true, very well then I wish you a goodnight."

"You too," Furihata mumbled waving at Akashi's retreating form before it disappeared into the vehicle. As the care drove away, he headed towards the train station. While walking he couldn't let go of the words Akashi had told him earlier. _Friends huh..._ His smile remained on his face for rest of the trip back home.

* * *

"Akashi-san you father is infuriated right now," Nakahara warned worriedly.

"Let him be," Akashi spat, "I have no regrets leaving the house against his decision. He can punish me for all I care."

"Akashi-san..."

Reaching the mansion the two trotted inside and met face to face of Akashi's father standing in the living room. "Welcome home Seijuro," he sneered.

"I'm home," Akashi deadpanned.

"Let's cut to the chase you vermin, you deliberately left the house when I specifically told you not to and you even prevented my assistant from finding you. You really are asking for punishment huh, you masochist."

"Father why is it so hard to get it through your thick skull to understand that you cannot keep me caged in this house? Going out once in a while will not affect my grades. I am 17 years old and you're treating me like some disobedient dog," ignoring his father's glare he continued, "I don't give a damn if you punish me because it's not going to change anything."

His father snickered, "So I guess I have no control over you anymore Seijuro. You are getting too smart for your own good. Since I can't just handcuff you to the house since that will be way too cruel of me how about we make a deal, you can leave on your own will to do whatever you want that's not school related but every time you set foot in this house after you go straight to the room you love to avoid."

Akashi shifted his gaze to Nakahara who violently shook his head telling him 'no'. His hands clenched as he stared back into his father's eyes, "Deal".

The older Akashi gave his sinister smile, "Good choice if I say so." He grabbed Akashi's wrist and started dragging him.

"Wait Akashi-sama! You can't do this!" Nakahara begged.

The older Akashi glared daggers at the chauffer, "Who do you think you're talking too you feeble old man? What are you going to do? Report me? As if anyone will believe you. I should just fire you right now. I don't give two shits about the promise Shiori made about you working here until Seijuro is heir."

"I...I..," Nakahara stuttered as his hands formed into fists, "Fire-"

"Wait!" Akashi interjected. "Nakahara is not himself today, please excuse his rudeness, he didn't mean it."

His father smirked, "Looking out for him eh? Well too bad because that's not going to work. Old man as of today-"

"What if I say that you can do twice as much punishment if you excused Nakahara?" Akashi offered.

"Oh? You really are a masochist huh. That seems reasonable so I accept. Old man you're off the hook since my wonderful son saved your wrinkly ass." He continued dragging Akashi out of the living room.

"A-Akashi-san!" Nakahara yelled.

Akashi looked over his shoulder giving his chauffer a weary smile before disappearing into the hall.

* * *

On his bed, Akashi buried his face in his pillow with a slight grimace on his face. The only thing on his mind right now was sleep but it was hard since the stinging pain on his back was keeping him awake. Sighing he wondered how he can avoid limping at school tomorrow. His thoughts were broken from a beep coming from his phone. Thankfully, he had left his phone on his bed before he left to meet Furihata. If it were somewhere else, he would have to wait to look at it tomorrow because he couldn't get up right now.

Slowly moving his arm, he reached out and grabbed his phone. Flipping it open, he saw the new text message from Kuroko. It also appeared that he got messages from the other Generation of Miracles from hours earlier when he was gone. Reading every one of them, they all told him that their coaches agreed to the event and will see him then.

Slightly smiling he responded back to each one telling them not to mention that all this was his idea and to keep it anonymous. After pressing send, he doesn't remember when sleep finally took over him.

* * *

 **A/N:** So how was it? Yeah I know Akashi's dad is an ass. Poor Akashi. :(

I'm letting you guys know that starting tomorrow I will be attending band camp so I won't have as much time to update as I want. Today is pretty much my last day of summer because after band camp I have school ugh. Curse you band directors for making my summer shorter! Ah well it's for the sake of marching band. c:

So since I have that to do I say that I will be uploading at LEAST once a week now. I can't guarantee uploading every week so that's why I'm saying 'least'.

Another reason is that I've been looking at some OTP prompts and I want to work on it with some of my other ships. I can't always be focused on this story so please understand.

I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes and if any characters are OOC. I try my best. So until the next chapter, peace out!

Reviews are really appreciated! They help keep me motivated! :D -Momo


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Holy crap it's been a while since I last updated! So sorry if you kept checking your alerts so many times to see if it had come up.

It seems that people were confused as to what happened between Akashi and his father. To make things clear he had hurt Akashi mainly on his back as punishment. I also want to clarifly that NOTHING sexual was done to Akashi. Oh god no. I really hope this clears things up and I am truly sorry if I made any of you guys confused in any way. If there is something you don't understand then please private message me and I will try to make things clear for you! The last thing I want is for my readers to not understand what's going on. D:

So here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! I know you've been waiting for over a month so I hope this chapter was worth the wait! c:

And THANK YOU for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I never expected to get this much and it truly makes me happy you guys love my story. I've never worked this long on a story before so you guys doing these seriously means a lot to me. ^_^

Anyways I hope you guys like it! -Momo

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke! It belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi!

* * *

Furihata sat on the gym floors with Fukuda and Kawahara. They were currently taking a 10-minute break after doing exercises Furihata considered harsh.

"Hey Furihata you've been staring at your phone for a full minute now and you're biting your lip. Is there something wrong?" Kawahara asked.

"Huh?" flinching from hearing his name Furihata waved his arms frantically, "Ah no I was just looking at pictures."

Kawahara raised a brow, "If you say so..."

When his friend turned to talk to Fukuda, Furihata turned his attention back to his phone. He wasn't looking at pictures but at the contact list, specifically Akashi's name. He was contemplating whether he should text him or not. He hadn't heard from the red head for two weeks and he was starting to worry. _We're friends right? So friends should keep in contact with each other right?_ He was starting to doubt if what Akashi had said on the Ferris wheel was just to be friendly and not had any meaning to it. _Wait, what am I saying? It's perfectly fine to not hear from friends for some time! I dealt with not talking to Fukuda and Kawahara for a month so I can deal with this. Besides, he's probably really busy._ Just realizing he had his thumb over the button to click Akashi's name he retracted it and flipped his phone close.

Right after flipping his phone, he heard a whistle blow. Turning his head to the sound he saw coach Riko waving her hand mentioning for everyone to gather around. Getting up and jogging to the group, Riko began her announcement.

"Okay so this weekend we're going back to the mountains." Everyone besides Kuroko groaned at the news but Riko ignored them and continued. "We're going to be having a certain event to help us train for the Inter High coming this summer. I won't tell you exactly what we're doing until that day but I can assure you that it will be worth it. Also since I don't want to over work you guys for this week until our trip to the mountains we will end practice at our usual 10 minute break. Since it's one right now you are all dismissed," she concluded.

With no questions asked fearing that the coach would change her mind, they quickly scattered to grab their bags and after bidding their goodbyes left to go home. The trio along with Kuroko and Kagami walked on the sides of the street. It was only Kagami talking who was blabbering whatever events to Kuroko until Fukuda spoke.

"Hey do you guys have a clue about the event coach mentioned is this weekend?" he asked.

Everyone shook their heads except for Kuroko who only looked up at the sky and tilted his head, "Hmm I wonder," was the blunette's response.

"Oi Kuroko that sounded suspicious," Kagami accused.

Kuroko stared at the red head, "All I said was that I wondered. If you're going to accuse people of the slightest things then you'd make a terrible detective."

Kagami muttered curse words under his breath as the trio snickered. After a while, Kuroko and Kagami left the group to head into a different direction and soon after it was Kawahara and Fukuda. Furihata walking alone to his house stared at the ground in thought. _We seriously are training hard for the Inter High. All this practice is leaving me behind in my studies! I lost count how many times I chickened out telling coach I wanted to leave practice for a day to work on homework. I wonder how Akashi is doing with his practice._ He immediately halted his walking and face palmed his forehead. _I totally forgot Akashi isn't playing basketball anymore! Ugh how stupid can I be._ Bringing his hand to his side, he didn't realize he clenched them into fists. _What kind of reason is that for Akashi to be forced to quit? What kind of person is Akashi's father? Just how high are his expectations? If I ever see him I'll see if I can reason with him to make Akashi play basketball in school again._ Nodding at the idea he quickly rushed back home to finish the rest of his day.

* * *

"So this is what you mean by a certain event to help us train?" Kagami muttered staring at the scene before him in disbelief.

The Seirin team had reached the gym located in the mountains and the sight before them was what they had not expected with the exception of Riko and Kuroko. In there were all five of the generation of miracles along with their respected teams.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise squealed as he ran to hug Kuroko but ran into Kagami instead as the blunette stepped aside for the blonde to hug the red head that had been behind him.

"Oi coach what's the meaning of this!" Hyuga demanded as he pointed to the chaos in front of him between Kise, Kagami, and Kuroko.

"If you're referring to those three over there then I have no clue but as for the rest of us it's exactly what it looks like," Riko put both hands on her hips and flashed a triumphed smile, "We're going to have practice matches with these people!"

Sighs erupted from the Seirin players while fear swept over the first years. Meanwhile Kagami punched his right fist into his left palm and smirked.

"I've been waiting to play these bastards and now the time has finally come," the red head stated.

"Kagami may be a little too excited but," Riko began, "I know that you're all just as fired up as him."

Everyone nodded in agreement aside from the first years.

"This atmosphere really scares me," one of the first years mentioned to the other first years.

"Yeah I mean look at them! We're literally going to see a match with the generation of miracles!" another one whispered.

Izuki catching the words from the first years walked up to them, "Yes they may look frightening because of whom they are but there's no need to be intimidated because the matches are worth seeing in person," he reassured. The three first years nodded hesitantly before a whistle rang through the gym.

"Alright everyone gather around!" Everyone looked to see Kagetora in the center of the gym. Doing as told he began his speech, "So now that everyone is here I'll explain what's going on. The coaches along with others have decided that to prepare for the Inter High it would seem reasonable to have practice matches, not with just any team but of course but with the generation of miracles. It seemed like a better choice considering we are all at the same level with each other so doing this would push you guys to do more." Earning wide looks aside from a few he cleared his throat and continued, "This event could be considered as a competition so with that we will pull colored marbles."

He raised a bag he had been holding for all to see. "Each captain will pull out one colored marble. There are three colors so each team will be paired up. You can pick now."

All captains from each team stayed around as the rest backed away. Furihata watched the captains sticking their hands in bags one at a time. _So these are the new captains huh._ Everyone besides Hyuga was different since the captains from last year graduated. He squinted his eyes as he watched one of them with shoulder length hair reach into the bag. _So I guess Mibuchi is the new captain for Rakuzan._

He then felt a light tap on the back of his shoulder. Curious he turned around and saw the person he had not heard nor seen for over two weeks.

"A-Akashi!" he stuttered.

"Good morning to you Furihata," Akashi had a teasing smile as if amused from seeing Furihata's reaction.

"D-Don't look at me like that! You just randomly show up after not hearing from you for weeks of course I would be shocked." Furihata took deep breaths calming his heart rate down before continuing, "Also what are you doing here I thought you-"

"Don't say it out loud," Akashi harshly whispered.

Furihata flinched at the tone. Akashi seeing this sighed relaxing himself before continuing, "I 'm here because I set this whole event up."

Furihata's eyes widened, "You planned all of this? But... why?"

"Well part of it is what Kagetora said, to push ourselves harder when we play against others just as strong but mostly because," his lips stretched into a small smile, "I promised we would play together again."

Furihata stared agape. _He did all of this for ME?_ "I...I'm so grateful that you did all of this for me but," he looked down to the floor suddenly feeling bad, "You're probably going to be disappointed because I doubt I'll get to play even one game."

Akashi's smile immediately fell causing Furihata to feel even guiltier. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could say a word, a whistle rang through the gym. They both looked to see Kagetora with the captains, each holding a colored marble in their palms.

"So now that we finished I'll announce the teams going against each other. The matches are Touou vs Yosen, Seirin vs Kaijo, and Rakuzan vs Shuutoku. As for which match starts first I'll leave that for you guys to decide."

"Kaijo and Seirin should go first!" Kise demanded cheerfully. Without his senpai, Kasamatsu, the blonde no longer had to act like an obedient dog to avoid getting hit.

"Hah? Are you kidding me Kise it's obvious that Touou and Yosen's match should be first," Aomine retorted resulting in Kise huffing his cheeks in protest.

As the two argued while their teams watch with embarrassment, Midorima walked up to Akashi and nodded in respect.

"Akashi," he spoke.

"Midorima," the red head returned, "It's been a while has it."

"It has," the green haired confirmed as he did his habit of pushing up his black glasses, "I saw the raven haired man instead of you during the marble pick. Don't tell me you gave up or perhaps even lost your position as captain did you?"

Akashi smirked, "Midorima it's unwise to assume something happened because it didn't go as it was supposed to. I merely went outside to talk with my driver so I had Mibuchi pick it for me."

Midorima pushed up his glasses to hide for his mistake, which only amused Akashi, "I see," was his only response before a whistle was heard.

"Alright so the first match is Kaijo and Seirin!" Kagetora called out in annoyance. Turns out Kise and Aomine kept arguing until Kuroko walked up to Murasakibara asking for rock, paper, scissors. The two did three rounds resulting in Kuroko winning making Kaijo and Seirin go first. "Everyone else go sit in the bleachers and watch the match."

With everyone in their respected areas the match soon started. With three of Kaijo's starters being different, no one was exactly sure how they played while Seirin's starters were the same. Furihata sat on the bench with the others and stared in awe. Yes, he's seen matches with the Generation of Miracles numerous times but it always amazed him how talented they were. He watched Kise copy many of his teammates moves along with some he remembered seeing. He then shifted his eyes to his team's shadow and light, watching Kuroko use misdirection hitting the ball towards Kagami from any direction. Then seeing his third year senpai's use their own skills to score points for his team even as Kaijo was in the lead. Even as he was amazed of his teammates and that he was proud to be part of Seirin he couldn't help feel pessimistic. Shifting his gaze to his lap where his fists rests he couldn't stop thinking of how he'll be a person on the bench for games to come. How he'll never be a starter because he was aware that the first years were better than him from being defeated in their practice matches. How he'll never overcome his cowardice resulting in hearing soft giggles from his teammates even when they mean well. And how he let Akashi make this whole event for _him_ but won't even get to play each other because he'll be sitting out and be the supporter instead.

"Whoa that blonde guy is amazing!" one of the first years whispered to the other three, "No wonder he's called the Generation of Miracles."

"Yeah no kidding, Izuki-senpai was right about seeing the matches in person," another spoke," It's so much better seeing them in person."

"Do you think that when the third years graduate that we'll be the next starters?"

"Of course! With our skills I'm sure we'll be the starters next year" one beamed, "But since there's four of us one of us will have to be benched since Kagami and Kuroko-senpai will most definitely be starters next year." The four first years nodded in agreement and went back to watching the match.

Furihata turned his head to see Kawahara and Fukuda looking at him as to tell him they were aware of the whole first year's conversation. Furihata gave them a light smile to reassure them even if he was thinking what the first year's said might be true, and that him and his two friends would most likely be benched again next year. _Ah well, I've done all that I can._

He jolted in his seat from a high-pitched whistle that came from Kagetora rushing towards the court. Looking at the scene, he saw Kise on the floor clutching his left ankle with his right eye shut as if he was in pain.

"Kise-kun are you okay?" Kuroko asked worriedly as he quickly came to the blonde's side.

"Of course I'm alright Kurokocchi, I just slipped on sweat, that's all," Kise managed to stand up but as he tried to walk on his left ankle he stumbled until Kuroko held him by the shoulders. Kuroko then placed Kise's arms around him and started guiding him off the court.

The blunette's brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "Kise-kun, your ankle hasn't healed properly has it?"

"Geh! What are you talking about Kurokocchi?! Of course my-" The model was cut off by a palm digging in his stomach as Kuroko ignite passed him making him whimper. "Okay okay yes it hasn't fully healed and I really was taking it easy but when I heard about this event I couldn't just sit out! Please understand I just really wanted to play with old friends again! I promise to never do it again so no more hits to the stomach please I don't want to relive the moments with Kasamatsu-senpai!" At this point it seemed as if the blonde had imaginary dog ears flopped down as animated tears flowed like waterfalls down his cheeks.

Furihata, who had watched the whole scene, couldn't hold back a light giggle as did with a few others. He unconsciously glanced to Rakuzan's side of the bleachers and noticed Akashi staring at him. Automatically feeling uncomfortable, he quickly looked away, confused as to why the red head was intensely staring at him. After the unexpected event with Kise, a new player was out on the court and the game quickly continued. The match had ended with a score of 90-78 with Seirin winning. All the ones that played went to the locker room to change as the rest went to the bleachers. With everyone back Kagetora announced the next match which was Touou and Yosen.

Everyone silently watched the match between the best offensive and defensive team. Furihata took another glance at Akashi on the other side of the bleachers and was relieved to see him looking at the match this time, his cheek resting on the back of his hand as he had an impassive look.

The match took a little longer than the first but it ended with a score of 65-64 with Touou winning. After some moving of the players it was now the third match between Rakuzan and Shuutoku. Furihata knew to wish both luck but he was secretly rooting for Rakuzan to win. He was a bit excited to see his new friend play. Of course he's seen the red head play before, even play with him, but he couldn't stop that exciting feeling growing in his chest.

As a rule, all starters from each team had to go to the center and bow. As with the other four previous teams, everyone in the bleachers had expected Akashi and Midorima to be a starters but that didn't seem the case as Akashi walked to the raven haired male whispering something to him then walking back to sit on the bench.

Furihata heard people in the bleachers whispering asking what was going on and why Akashi was sitting out. He was just as confused but remained quiet. _What are you doing Akashi? I know you aren't officially in the team anymore but I figured you would still be a starter._

"What the hell is that guy going?" Kagami asked.

"I'm not really sure," Kuroko responded, "But I think he has his reasons."

As Akashi was bending down tying his shoes, he saw a shadow approach in front of him. Looking up he saw Midorima looking at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Is there a reason for you not to be a starter in this match, Akashi?" Midorima asked.

The red head had finally made his impassive face disappear by giving a light smile, "Yes there is a reason Midorima, but unfortunately I cannot tell you, or at least not yet."

Midorima opened his mouth wanting to speak but closed it. Instead, he calmly adjusted his glasses on his face before replying, "I see, but the reason better not be that you look down on Shuutoku."

"I do not look down on Shuutoku. If any I should be telling my team to be wary but I prefer not because I have absolute trust in my team. I should be telling you not look down on my team just because I am not playing. Now I think you should go back to your side because the match is about to start."

As if on cue, Midorima heard Takao calling him to come back. Quickly adjusting his glasses once again, he turned around to join with his team leaving Akashi looking after him.

As the match started, everyone on the bleachers watched intently. With Mayuzumi gone and Akashi sitting out there were two unfamiliar faces but that didn't mean Shuutoku underestimated them. Even with Midorima's seniors from last year gone this year's team was just as if not more fired up to win this match. With both sides taking the match seriously everyone except for few watched in awe as they saw Midorima shoot his famous three-pointers and the tree Uncrowned Kings doing their specialty moves.

Most people had expected Shuutoku to win because they had Midorima playing but that didn't seem the case as the score was 92-90 with Rakuzan winning. Light claps were heard through the gym as both teams lined up to thank each other. The teams soon left to the locker rooms to change up and when they came back Kagetora soon made another announcement to everyone.

"We will take a one hour break and after that we will be drawing colored marbles again to have different matches. These will be the last three as it will be late after the sixth match. The break starts now and after that all captains meet me in the center of the gym."

Everyone scattered with some staying outside and others going outside. Kawahara suggested going outside and Fukuda and Furihata agreed. As the trio walked to the doors, Furihata looked back and spotted Akashi talking to Kagetora. Not being able to hear their conversation, he quickly dropped the matter and went outside.

When the break was over those who were outside went back in to meet up with the others. With everyone there Kagetora soon began speaking.

"Okay so there's a change of plans. Instead of choosing marbles again I decided to just pair you guys up myself. Don't ask why and just let it be." After seeing a few nods he continued, "So the matches are going to be Touou vs Shuutoku, Yousen vs Kaijo, and Rakuzan vs Seirin. I decided that the first match will be Rakuzan and Seirin so everyone get to your places."

Ignoring the 'hell yes' from Kagami, Seirin and Rakuzan stayed on the court preparing for the match while the others went to the bleachers. The teams were on their respected sides until Kagami approached Akashi who was talking with Mibuchi.

"Oi Akashi I don't know why you didn't play in your last game but you better not do that in this game."

"No worries Kagami but I do plan to play in this game but only in one condition," ignoring Kagami's perplexed look he walked to the other side of the court to where Seirin was.

"Coach Aida-san may I ask a favor of you?" he spoke.

"Huh?" turning around Riko was surprised to see Akashi asking a favor from her, "Oh yes of course, what is it?"

"Since I know that the same people are going to be the starters may I ask you to have someone else to switch with one?"

Flabbergasted Riko sputtered, "W-What?"

"Oi Akashi what is the meaning of this?" Kagami roared as he came back to his team.

"I only ask if you could switch one of the starters with someone else from the bench. I do not mean to lower your chances of winning but to have someone else play. If that can't happen then I will have to be sitting out again for this game"

Kagami was about to retort until Kuroko beat him to it, "I don't know what Akashi's motives are but if it's to have him playing then I wouldn't mind switching someone out. Is that alright with you coach?"

Riko furrowed her browns as she thought about it. Sighing she gave in, "Alright we'll do it. Just tell me who you want to be in instead."

"Thank you coach Aida-san. As for the one I want," Akashi raised his arm and pointed to Furihata, "I want Furihata to play."

Furihata feeling all eyes looking at him now only made him more nervous. He was about to refuse until Kagami grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Furihata I don't know what made Akashi want you to play but let's have a good game together," Kagami grinned before turning back to Akashi, "Alright Akashi he's playing with us now so let's start."

"Perfect," was Akashi's only response.

"Izuki you'll be sitting out this game," Riko called out.

Furihata looked around the bleachers to see everyone looking at him. Feeling nervous, he started shaking. _Oh god all of this in front of everyone else?!_ He heard his name and looked to see Kawahara and Fukuda grinning at him.

"You've got this Furihata!" Kawahara cheered.

"Lucky you! Promise we'll all play together in a real match someday okay?" Fukuda asked.

Feeling guilt creep up in Furihata's chest for them still being on the benches while he played, he smiled and nodded, "Of course," he promised.

Akashi walked to the center of the court with Furihata tailing behind. After the bow from both teams, everyone got into their positions. Furihata was closed to Akashi and before the ball was called he asked,

"Is this really okay Akashi? There's a reason why I'm on the bench most of the time."

Akashi didn't even bother to make eye contact with him as he tried to focus on the ball in Kagetora's hands, "Keep thinking like that and you'll never win a game. Try to remember what I taught you the last time we played."

Furihata didn't have time to respond as the whistle was called and the ball was now in play. Shaking his head, he focused on his part. Slowly but carefully watching his surroundings he was able to move around with little defense around him and have Kuroko make a few passes to him. Of course this didn't go unnoticed by Akashi as he always stopped him. It went on with both sides making scores but without Furihata and Akashi until the buzzer sounded and it was time for a five-minute break.

The game continued in its second quarter with mainly Mibuchi and Kagami scoring. Nebuya had been passed the ball my Kotaro and he found Akashi in an opening and being quick, he passed the ball to him. Akashi zipped passed his defenders and was able to score into the basket. Standing there staring at the ground he felt a feeling in his chest and formed a small smile. It had been a while since he felt this feeling. The last time he played with this much joy felt like an eternity and he couldn't help but smile wider.

"Alright Akashi that was great!" Nebuya complimented as he came up to him and slapped him on the back.

"Ng!" Akashi gritted his teeth as he bent down a little and reached behind to touch his back.

"Akashi are you okay?" Furihata asked coming towards him.

Mibuchi came over to Nebuya and slapped the back of his head, "You idiot you hit too hard! Sei- Akashi are you alright?"

"I didn't mean it..." Nebuya whimpered.

Quickly regaining his posture Akashi assured them, "Yes I'm fine thank you for asking. Nebuya please be gentler next time," with that he jogged back to where the other players were.

The second quarter was now over and this time it was time for a 10-minute break. Furihata sat on the bench and grabbed the water bottle Fukuda held out for him. He gulped half of it down and wiped his mouth with his arm. It was only then he realized that the pain in his chest was starting to come back. It wasn't as bad but it was bothering him. After hearing the whistle meaning that the break was over, he got up and followed his team back to the court.

At first Seirin was barely getting a lead by less than 10 points but during the third quarter Rakuzan was able to pull ahead by two points. With Akashi scoring now Rakuzan seemed to be in favor but of course Seirin wasn't going to give up. Furihata kept playing his role by being on the lookout and watching the other team and using defense. His concentration was broken by feeling a sharp pain in his chest again but managed to continue all the way until the third quarter ended.

During the five-minute break Furihata relaxed as much as he can hoping the pain would go away. Tears formed in his eyes as he resisted the urge to couch. _If I start coughing now the others will start to worry. Come on Kouki just one more quarter, let's make this count!_

With the final break over the fourth and final quarter began. Everyone was pretty much worn out but that didn't stop them to try their best. Kuroko still used his misdirection to his fullest and Kagami was able to reach his highest jumps. Furihata knew he wasn't as great as he was when it started but he still kept going. The pain in his chest had grown worst and he couldn't resist coughing once but ignoring it he was able to make one more shot. As it came down to 10 seconds Akashi was able to score one more point just before the buzzer came.

The score was 110-109 with the winner being Rakuzan.

"WOOO!" Kotaro yelled in joy as he was jumping up and down. Mibuchi placed his hands on his hips and smiled while Nebuya was flexing his muscles.

"We lost..." Kagami admitted, "but we plan to win the next time we play, Akashi."

"As do we Kagami," Akashi returned. He turned his head to see Furihata bent down with his hands on his knees and panting. He walked over to him, "It was a good game Furihata. I was glad to play with you again," he spoke.

"Yes...I was...glad... to play with you...again," Furihata tried to respond but had a difficult time as he was starting to wheeze.

"Are you okay?" Akashi asked voice full with worry.

Furihata couldn't even respond because at this point he was struggling to breathe. Feeling weak in his knees, he dropped to the floor holding his neck. He couldn't hold in his coughs anymore and was now hacking. His head felt like it was about to explode and so was his chest.

This had caught everyone's attention to the gym and his teammates had rushed to his side.

"Guys give him some room," Kagetora ordered as he stepped to Furihata's side.

"Furihata-kun!" Kuroko called, "What is happening?"

 _I wish I knew!_ Was what Furihata wanted to say. He placed a hand over his persistent cough and soon after he felt something land on them. Taking his hand off he saw dark red liquid on them. It was not a lot but it was enough to shock everyone else.

"Holy crap is that blood? We have to do something!" Kagami called.

Akashi being the first one to respond took hold of Furihata and hoisted him up. "I'm taking him to the hospital," he declared, "My chauffer is already out there so I'll take him." Without waiting for a response he escorted the sick brunette outside.

As the two were gone everyone in the gym just stared at the doors.

"We should probably go with him, right Fukuda?" Kawahara suggested.

"No don't," Midorima told them, "The more people involved the slower that boy will make it to the hospital, besides Akashi knows what he's doing."

"Do you think that Akashi knew about this which was why he wanted Furihata to play?" Kagami asked suddenly growing angry at the idea.

"Don't be an idiot!" Kuroko snapped, "There's no way Akashi would want this to happen to anyone." He solemnly shifted his eyes to the ground, "All we can do is hope that Furihata-kun is alright."

The gym became eerily quiet as the event with Furihata made everyone's excited moods from earlier drop drastically and it was aggravating that all they could do was wait.

* * *

 **A/N:** How was it? For those that knew something was up with Furihata then pat yourself on the back! :D Haha I think that goes for everyone because I kind of made it obvious that something was up with him. I tried *^*

Just letting you guys know that I have already been in school for a few weeks and I am already stressing. I am already failing a class and I have 2 weeks to bring the grade up or else I can't keep marching in band. If you guys didn't know band is very important to me. I thought math was my strong point until I took Calculus.. _

Also it's my last year of high school so I'm in the process of doing a crap ton of research on colleges and working on applications. Why the heck is the process so complicated? So there's a heads up on other stuff I have to do.

Of course I'll still update when I can but expect for chapters to be a while. Anyways I hope this will be enough until the next chapter. c:

Next chapter is pretty much the main reason why I even started this story. Like even thinking about it makes me love them even more. ;D

I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes and if the characters are OOC. I try my best. So until the next chapter, peace out!

Reviews are highly appreciated! They help keep me motivated. :D -Momo


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** *comes out of hiding* Uh hi guys...I hope you guys aren't too angry at me for not updating in over 2 months. I can sort of explain...well not really. Let's just say I got distracted with new anime. Hopefully you guys can forgive me! But I _will_ keep my promise about finishing the story! So don't you worry. :)

I swear this is the most sappiest thing I've ever written. Please excuse me while I go scrub my face with a cheese grater. But seriously this part is one of the very first things I thought of when I decided to make this story and writing this made me so happy. x)

Anyways here is the chapter! -Momo

* * *

"I'm here oh my god Kouki are you alright?" Hana asked desperately when barging into the hospital room. Akashi used Furihata's phone to call the mother after making it safely to the hospital. Hana rushed to her son's side who sat on the bed and brought his cheeks into her palms.

Furihata placed his hands on his mother's arms and pulled it away from his face. "Mom it's alright nothing bad seriously happened, go ask the doctor." They turned their attention to the doctor who was sitting in a chair taking notes on his clipboard.

Looking up from his clipboard the doctor gave a reassuring smile. "Your son is somewhat right, but it appears he has an inflammation in the bronchial tubes in his lungs, meaning he has bronchitis."

"Bronchitis...?" Hana repeated trying to register the word. "Is there a reason on how he got it?"

"Hmm," the doctor put the pen he was holding to his chin and tapped on it. "Well assuming that your son doesn't smoke, the most likely cause is from air pollution or inhaling some form of chemical over the years."

"Pollution?!" Hana's eyes widen, "Oh no no no god dammit!" Her unexpected burst caused the three males in the room to flinch. Hana looked at her shaking hands that clasped together. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go to that polluted place with your father! Of course it was a bad idea yet I gave in and-"

"Mom please don't worry!" Furihata pleaded grabbing her hands. "It's fine, really!" Hana managed to relax a little but her hands continued to shake.

The doctor took the silence to continue, "Well there is good news of course. He only has acute bronchitis so it shouldn't last as long as chronic bronchitis which can last for years. However," The doctor stood up from his seat and walked to a near cabinet. Opening it, he rummaged through the items only taking out a few specific ones. He walked over to Hana and held out the items then looked at Furihata. "Here is some pain reliever medicine and only take it when you feel pain in your chest. I'm also giving you an inhaler if you ever have trouble breathing. I don't have the prescription antibiotics ready yet so come by tomorrow at around 3pm to pick them up."

Hana nodded as she took the medicine and inhaler. She then looked over at Furihata who was eyeing the items in suspicion. As if she read her son's mind she answered, "Kouki you better take these when you are feeling hurt. You don't want to make it worse."

Furihata flinched at her tone, "O-Okay..." he mumbled.

The doctor patted Furihata's shoulder. "Though I can't just force you to swallow pills and use the inhaler I strongly suggest you take what I give you. I know you wouldn't want to have an acute bronchitis turn into a chronic one and you definitely wouldn't want it to turn into pneumonia, but in the end the choice is yours. Oh I almost forgot!" He walked to a separate cabinet and opened it. He pulled out a box and took out a package of white coughing masks. Walking back to Furihata he handed it to him. "Wear these every time you are outside and around people. You'll be coughing like crazy." He paused and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "Well it seems it's time for me to leave, I have to go to an appointment with another patient. I gave you all the information and items you need, just pick up the prescription medicine at 3pm tomorrow." He opened the door before stopping and turned around, "Oh and absolutely _no_ kinds of physical activity. That means any sports that cause a lot of strenuous activity. You'll be out of breath before you even know it."

Hana and Furihata waved as the doctor left the room. The room became quiet, as if accepting the situation, but too quiet for Furihata's liking until his mother exhaled loudly.

"I guess..." she began, "We should go home now." She got up and turned around but stopped when she saw red hair. "Ara? Akashi I'm sorry I didn't know you were here. Thank you taking Kouki here and for calling and letting me know about him." She gave a small and weak smile.

"It's always best to let the parents know," Akashi replied, "I'm relieved that Furihata's condition isn't as serious as we thought."

"Yes and I'm glad, I'm very glad." Small tears formed at the corner of Hana's eyes but she quickly wiped them away. "Come back home with us and have dinner, it's my thank you gift to you."

Akashi wanted to say no, that he really needed to get back home because his driver was waiting, but seeing that pained look on Hana's face made him agree. He looked at Furihata who was looking back at him and saw that he mouthed a 'thank you', for keeping his mother company he figured. After making a call to his chauffer about the situation, the three went home.

The dinner wasn't as lively as it was the first time Akashi came but he didn't mind it. He looked over at Furihata to see him squirming uncomfortably in his seat. He started conversations with his mother because he didn't want her to feel gloomy. He understood what she was feeling though, that feeling when someone you deeply care for is sick and know that sickness can get worse. He knew it very well.

With dinner over Furihata immediately went to bed, saying that the chest pains had made him exhausted. Akashi sat on the couch in the living room for a while. He decided to stay for a few more minutes because no matter what time he gets home, his father will be waiting for him in _that_ room. He shuddered at the thought. He might as well make use of this time before suffering the consequences. His thoughts ended when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Ara? You're still here?" Hana asked. "Oh sorry I didn't mean to say that! It's not like I want you to leave or anything. It's just that since it was so quiet in the room I thought you left already. You're free to spend the night if you want."

Akashi shook his head, "Thank you for the offer but I have to decline. My father is waiting for me and my home is quite a long distance."

"Oh of course! I completely forgot you live in Kyoto!" Hana remembered. "Do you need a ride home? I don't mind giving you one."

"It's fine, someone will come to get me." He was about to say that he was going to leave right now but something came to his mind. Getting up from the couch he turned around to face Hana. "May I ask you a question?"

"You just did!" Hana laughed, "Sorry go ahead."

"Back at the hospital, you were saying something about how you shouldn't have let Furihata go with his father to that polluted place. What did you mean by that?" He noticed how Hana's shoulders tensed up but then relaxed. "If you don't want to explain then that is perfectly fine with me," he explained quickly.

Hana shook her head, "No it's fine..." She paused and took a deep breath, as if calming herself down. "You see, Kouki's father worked at a factory. Kouki was very close to him and he always begged me to let him go with his father to work. I was unsure about it since it was no place for children but his father wanted him to come. I have no idea how the place he worked for allowed children in, Kouki was probably kept a secret, I don't know. The thing was that since it was a factory the air around it was always polluted. Kouki had been going with his father for a few years since he was he was young, maybe six? It was so long ago but all I know is that he had been going there until he was 10 years old. He definitely didn't go there every day though I know that for sure, I didn't allow that."

"I see..." Akashi murmured "And why did Furihata stop coming?" _And where is his father?_ He thought.

Hana's eyebrows slightly furrowed and her lips grew into a small frown, "Well one day while Kouki was at school, one of the machines in the factory caught on fire and soon the fire had spread causing the whole building to explode killing everyone...including his father."

Akashi remained silent for a few seconds before something clicked in his mind. "You mean that factory at the edge of Tokyo?" He remembered hearing about a factory exploding while he was living in the city at the time. He was on the other side of the city but the event was all over the news.

Hana nodded, "Yes, it was tragic event...Kouki was severely affected by his father's death but I'm glad that he's moved on from it. I'm glad that he wasn't there that day and that he's still alive but I can't keep calm about how the pollution effected his lungs. I'm such an awful parent to had let a child go to that place. What kind of parent lets their children go to factories..."

"I'm sure Furihata doesn't blame you. If any he must've been glad to be able to spend time with his father until that final moment," Akashi reassured.

"Yeah...Kouki always tells me. I just hope his sickness doesn't get worst."

Akashi stiffened slightly at Hana's words but soon fixed himself. He flipped his phone open to look at the time before speaking up, "It's getting late so I think I should head home now."

"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't mean to keep you for that long," Hana grinned sheepishly.

"No it's fine." _And please stop apologizing..._ was what he wanted to say but kept it to himself. After giving a bow and waving goodbye, he left the house. The sun had just set and the only light that came was from the streetlights and the moon. Walking along the side of the road the small park with the basketball court came into view. Deciding to take his time, he walked to the area and sat on one of the benches. Staring at nothing in front of him, he gave a sigh. He felt guilty for making Hana explain about Furihata's dead father. He would express his condolences but he knew Hana wouldn't want it. It only works best when the death of a person was recently.

His staring soon shifted out of focus and he pondered. He wasn't a fan talking about death but he walked himself into the conversation. The topic always gave him memories and he did not appreciate that. His thoughts were interrupted from the vibrations he felt on his leg. He reached into his pocket pulling out his phone and flipped it open.

 **From: Furihata Kouki**

 _[Are you still close by?]_

Raising an eyebrow Akashi quickly replied,

 _[I'm at the park of your neighborhood, why?]_ Seconds later his phone vibrated,

 _[Oh good! Just stay there I'll be there in a few minutes.]_ Akashi's eyes widened. Was he serious? He's supposed to be in bed like a good sick boy he is. He hastily replied telling Furihata to stay home but after not receiving a response, the brunette was probably already out the house. Akashi sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. _He had better have his mask with him at least_.

After a few minutes he heart footsteps from behind. Standing up he turned around to see Furihata coming closer. He didn't even give him time to speak as he broke the silence, "Why are you here? You're supposed to be in bed. Also where is your mask?"

"Ah it's in the sleeve of my jacket." Furihata paused and bent over to catch his breath. Akashi's eyes narrowed knowing that the brunette had rushed over here. "I realized that we haven't spent much time together in a while so..."

"But we played each other some hours ago in that basketball event." Akashi's face relaxed before continuing, "Also I apologize for not being aware of your condition. If I had known then I wouldn't have even done that event in the first place."

"N-No it's fine!" Furihata panicked waving his hands. I wasn't aware of the condition myself, no one is at fault." They both moved to sit on the same bench Akashi sat on earlier.

"I see..." Akashi murmured, "Anyways what did you want to discuss? Your mother is going to be angry when she finds out you're gone."

Furihata laughed, "She already knows I'm out. I told her I needed to talk to you so she demanded I take a mask with me."

"Then put it on," Akashi demanded.

"Not now, I tried it on earlier but it felt uncomfortable as it kept rubbing against my skin." Furihata ignored the glare from the red head and continued, "What I wanted to ask is...did my mom say anything? Like about what could have caused me to be sick and stuff?"

"She already told me," Akashi merely replied.

Furihata sighed, "Phew that's a relief...I was afraid that I would've had to explain how I got the way I am. I don't think I would have been able to keep a straight face on."

"It's fine, your mother didn't either," Akashi added. He noticed the way Furihata's lips formed a frown

"I..." Furihata moved his gaze to the grass down in front of him. "I told my mom many times before that I loved going to the factory with my dad, I really did! Before leaving, I told her that I don't blame her for letting me go. I would have gone regardless. She thinks that me getting sick is all her fault but it's not. Even if it's a bummer that that tubes in my lungs have a problem and that I'm going to get more uncomfortable chest pains and that I won't be able to play basketball for possibly weeks, what I did with my father was one of the greatest moments of my life. I don't regret what I did and I'll proudly deal with the effects. I guess it serves as a memory..."

It remained quiet and Furihata didn't have the courage to look Akashi in the eyes. He was afraid of Akashi's reaction, thinking that he will say that it's ridiculous. Instead, he kept his intense stare on the grass. The hands resting on his lap closed and tightened into fists as he waited for the red head's reply.

"My mother..."

"Huh?" Furihata turned his head to Akashi. His voiced had been so quiet that Furihata wasn't sure if he actually spoken or not.

"My mother," Akashi repeated more clearly. "She died from leukemia."

 _Oh._ Furihata's mouth suddenly became dry. What was he supposed to say to that? He shifted in his seat and scratched at his hand. He opened his mouth, about to say sorry for your loss, but Akashi beat him to it.

"She had that cancer for years. She had it since she was a child but it somehow calmed down and didn't need to be treated as much. It was only a few years after I was born that is came back much more worse than before and she passed away from a common virus because of it. I was only 10 years old."

Furihata closed his mouth again and stared back at the grass. Since he didn't know how to respond he thought that silence was the best answer. Akashi didn't seem to move an inch the whole time he spoke so Furihata figured that if he was relaxed that he should relax himself too. "Then we're alike then..." Furihata's eyes widened at his comment. He thought of it but he hadn't meant to voice it out. He snapped his head only to find Akashi gazing out in the distance smiling.

"Yes we are."

Furihata soon found himself relaxing. Akashi's response washed away all his worries and he found himself smiling too. They both stared into the distance in a comfortable silence but Furihata immediately stood up caused Akashi to stare at him with a questioning look.

"I-I" Furihata couldn't form a sentence without stuttering so instead he just took one of Akashi's hand and dragged him up. Not waiting for Akashi to ask what he was doing he quickly pulled him along and lead him away from the park.

Akashi was pulled along as Furihata's hand was still grabbing his own. Grasping the situation, he asked, "What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"

Furihata didn't stop rushing nor did he even turn around as all he said was, "I got at idea!"

Before Akashi knew it, they already reached the train station and found themselves waiting for the train, which Furihata said was the last one going this certain direction for tonight. He kept quiet and let Furihata lead him. It wasn't the first time Furihata had a sudden burst and dragged him to do something. He was also curious to know what got Furihata so excited. The brunette could not stay still for two seconds as he tapped his foot impatiently looking at the direction the train was supposed to come from. Akashi would never say it to Furihata, but he was a bit excited. He could feel a sense of adventure coming his way, which would explain Furihata's excitement, and it genuinely made him look forward to what Furihata's idea was. When they got on the train, he began to think different possibilities of what it could be and it lasted the whole ride. Furihata tapped his shoulder and they soon got off.

Akashi looked around and he didn't seem to recognize the train station. It was only when they exited the building that confirmed that he's never been here before. "Where are we?" he finally managed to ask.

"Oh you don't know this place?" Furihata noticed, "Well we are at the very edge of east Tokyo. Where we're heading to leaves the border but it's not that far away."

Akashi raised an eyebrow but didn't question any further. If Furihata went to the other side of Tokyo to show him something then it must be important. Leaving the train station, they spent five minutes walking down a road with little cars driving on it. They took a left down a wide dirt trail that seemed to extend on forever. They were leaving the city so streetlights started disappearing making the moon the only light for them to see. Soon no buildings were present, all left behind them. All Akashi saw was expansions of grass with few oak trees. Walking further down the path more trees appeared and Akashi realized they were by a forest.

"Don't worry we're almost there," Furihata reassured. The trail went through a few trees and after what seemed like forever to Akashi, a large meadow came into view. He noticed the various colors of flowers in large spots of the field and squinting to focus better, he noticed a square shape in the center.

He followed Furihata again through the meadow and coming to the center, he realized the shape was of a shed. It was worn down and it looked like it hadn't been used in years. To him, it looked like a perfect place for a murder scene. He quickly shook his head to erase such thoughts.

"Well we're here," Furihata pointed out, staring at the shed.

"I see," Akashi answered, "And this place is?" He knew what this area was but he just didn't understand why Furihata took him here.

"Ah!" Furihata flinched at a realization that Akashi didn't understand. "Wait here!" He rushed to the front of the shed and fiddled with the door.

Akashi wanted to tell him to stop, that there could be something dangerous inside the shed, but the way Furihata's face lighted up in joy as he opened the door told him that it was alright. He waited outside patiently and after hearing various strange noises from inside the shed, Furihata came out with a metal ladder in his arms.

"Come here," Furihata called. Akashi complied and watched the brunette make the ladder stand upright and leaned it against the side of the shed. "After you!" Furihata grinned.

Akashi shot him a look of 'are you serious' but Furihata's smile said so otherwise. With hesitant hands, Akashi grabbed one of the ladder's steps in front of him and slowly and carefully climbed up. Ignoring the wobble of the ladder, he managed to reach the top and quickly crawled on top the shed's roof and a few seconds later he saw Furihata reach the top and crawled on the roof joining him.

"Let's sit at the edge," Furihata suggested. Reaching the edge, they both swung their legs off the edge and let it dangle under them as they sat down. They stared at the vast meadow and forest in front of them as seconds of silence ticked by and all that could be heard was the wind and the rustling of the grass and the tree's leaves. It was broken though as Akashi heard Furihata release a sigh.

"So um," he began nervously. "You're probably wondering why I took you to a place like this and to answer you I uh- well this place," he patted the metal roof," Is a place that me and my dad used to go to all the time."

Akashi turned to look at Furihata but the brunette kept looking at the view in front of them as he continued. "It was usually during the weekends when my dad had work off. He built this shed and stored some common items used for camping. It was a place for him to escape work and me to escape school. My dad said it was also to escape mom's nagging haha..." He trailed off before continuing again. "We did so many things! Like roasting food on a grill to playing catch to just looking at the stars. On Saturdays, we would sometimes sleep overnight in the shed. Mom slept here once but she said it was miserable and that she would never do it again."

He paused again and Akashi caught the small frown. "When I went back inside it felt like a wave of memories just washed over me. All of the items in there are covered in dust and it hit me that it's been so long. I came a few times after my dad's death but I just couldn't bring myself to use any of the stuff inside. Today is the first time I used one of the items since the last time I was here with him." Furihata released another sigh, "It might not be what you expected and I'm sorry. It's just that out of all the places I've seen in my entire life, this place is the place I cherish the most."

Furihata became silent again but stayed that way, hinting that he was finished. Akashi remained quiet as he looked up at the sky to see billions of stars spread out from horizon to horizon. Since all of the street and house lights were some distance away, more stars and galaxies were showing. Akashi could make out a number of constellations if he wanted to but instead he shifted his gaze back in front of him. The moon's light shined on the field bringing out every flower's color. He noticed specks of yellow light floating along the grass. Most came from within the forest as the fireflies floated around living their lives. Akashi's mouth went slightly agape, it was a sight that he had never seen in his life before.

Swallowing, he turned his attention back to Furihata who was still staring at the distance in front of him. Regaining his thought he whispered, "Why...why take me to such an important place to you?"

"Huh?" Furihata's head jerked to face Akashi, which was the first time since coming onto this shed. "Oh..." was all he said before he formed a grin, making his eyes shut, a grin so genuine that it could provide more light than the sun. "That's because you're a cherished friend of mine."

Akashi was speechless as he continued to stare at Furihata dumbfounded. Warmth rushed through his face and chest and he was grateful that Furihata sneezed loudly at that moment.

"Ouch!" Furihata yelped. He tried holding his sneeze in but it only caused pain in his chest for a second. Mumbling inaudible complaints to himself, he felt a hand rest on top of his head. He looked up to see Akashi smiling at him.

"Put on your mask," Akashi ordered as he took his hand off the brunette's head, but the tone in his voice didn't have that intimidating effect.

"O-Okay," Furihata whispered. Taking out the mask hiding in his sleeve, he reluctantly put it over his mouth and nose, putting the string behind his ears. _It's so damn itchy!_ He complained inwardly. He caught the noise of muffled laughter and noticed Akashi hunched over covering his mouth with his hands. "Wha-What's so funny?!"

When Akashi regained his composure, he explained, attempting to keep a straight face. "That mask looks ridiculous on you."

"You-You!" Furihata pointed a finger at the red head, "How about you try wearing this itchy mask!" The only reaction he got from him was more laughter. Furihata slowly lowered his finger, mouth agape. _This is the most I've seen him laugh._ Somehow, Akashi's laughter caused something in Furihata's chest to stir. Pouting, he looked away though it didn't last long as his lips started quivering and soon opened and laughed, joining Akashi.

All that could be heard in the area was laughter, away from society just outside of Tokyo. If anyone else had come, they would have hightailed out of there in fear. Though that wasn't the case as there were only two boys, sitting on top a shed looking over the meadow and forest, as the moon's luminous light illuminated them.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow I think I died internally after writing this. It's Thanksgiving break right now so I had a lot of free time so I decided to make this chapter now before I go back to school. I'll have the next chapter done somewhere around Christmas break since I get 2 weeks of no school. So look out for it then! Now I can finally go write my government research paper and continue my college applications. *cries*

Also if you guys are KiKuro trash like me then check out a oneshot I made recently! I'm not 100% happy with it because I rushed it since I left it abandoned since August and went back to it months later and finished it in a day but if you are that desperate for this ship like me then I think you might like it. :) Go check my list of stories if you're interested. Just _please_ don't read that Hetalia fanfic I made 2 years ago. Oh god no please don't.

Sorry for any grammar mistakes and if the characters are OOC. I try my best. So until next chapter, peace out!

Reviews are really appreciated! They help keep me motivated! :D -Momo


	9. Chapter 9

Akashi stepped out of the hospital, holding two prescription bottles of pills in his jacket pocket. Furihata's mother had begged him to see if he could pick up the medicine, as she had to work late. He really didn't mind it honestly, if any he was quite happy that he could get them. He had been hoping to see his friend again soon.

Now walking down the familiar street to Furihata's house, he began to wonder. With a lot going on happening back at his home he was hoping to spend some time with Furihata to forget what happened when he came home last night. He quickly looked down to check his ankles and was glad that his pants covered them. If Furihata were to see, he would have no choice but to tell him about his father.

Reaching the park, he noticed a figure wearing a jacket with the hoodie on playing basketball. At the sight, Akashi narrowed his eyes. His calm steps suddenly turned briskly as he came up to the person and yanked the hood down. _Bingo_. "Furihata," he said.

"Eek! A-Akashi!?" Furihata sputtered staring at the red head with frightened eyes. "W-What are you doing here? You never told me you were coming!" He shook under the harsh gaze of Akashi.

"Your mother told me to pick up your prescription medicine," Akashi informed. "Now, what are _you_ doing playing basketball?" His voice sounded normal as always but Furihata clearly heard his scolding tone.

Furihata didn't even get the chance to reply as Akashi pulled on his hoodie dragging him to his house. "Akashi okay okay okay! I know I made the wrong choice playing when I should be resting at home just let go please!" He sighed in relief when the grip came off letting him to straighten up. Walking uncomfortably next to Akashi made him look anywhere but him. _He's probably mad..._

"I'm not mad if that's what you're thinking," Akashi spoke startling him. "It's just I want you to recover as soon as possible so if I seem more hostile then I apologize."

Furihata felt guilt rip through him. He didn't like the feeling of people worrying over him, it was one of the least things he wanted people to feel especially if he was the reason for it. When he told his team, everyone insisted on visiting today after practice since he hadn't gone to school but he thankfully got them not to. "No it's okay...I'm sorry for not listening to my doctor. I promise to never do it again." He'll definitely promise it if it meant Akashi feeling less worried about him.

Akashi shook his head. "It's fine, how are you feeling? Did you have any pain since last night?"

"Oh uh, not really? I coughed a lot which gave me a hard time sleeping but that was it." It was true and it made him frustrated to the point of accidently kicking his cat off the bed. The only detail he left out was the bit of blood that came out of those coughs.

"I see, well then hopefully you'll have better sleep when you take these." He took one of the bottles out of his pocket and rattled it.

"Ah! Thank you for getting them for my mom." Even though his mother acted her usual bubbly self and did what she normally did after finding about his condition he couldn't help but feel that she was stressing out. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes and most of her laughs sounded forced. He should probably cook dinner to let her relax as much as she can when she would get home; he did nothing my play games all day anyways.

Akashi nodded in acknowledgement and the two continued walking in silence. When Furihata glanced back at Akashi, he saw that he was staring at the ground. It was incredibly strange because he would always walk with his head held high. _Was he thinking about something?_ Furihata thought. He was too caught up coming up with reasons that he just noticed Akashi side glancing him.

"Is there something wrong?" Akashi asked.

"No!" Furihata blurted and paused after a moment realizing he used too much force. "I don't know, I'm just wondering if you're alright." His words caught Akashi off guard because his mouth went open for a second before closing it and stared back at the ground. The red head's lip seemed to purse into a thin line and that was when Furihata knew there was something wrong.

After a moment of silence, Akashi broke it. "Is it alright with you... if we could go back to the shed again today?"

Furihata stared at him. _What? He actually liked that place?_ His silence seemed to be a bad response because Akashi quickly spoke.

"But if you can't then that's perfectly alright. You're not at your best right now so it's probably best if you stay home tonight-"

"Akashi of course we could go to the shed," Furihata interrupted. He internally winced for cutting him off but if there was something troubling his friend he needed to do everything he could to help.

"Are you sure? Maybe it's best if you stay home and-"

Furihata stopped him again when he put a hand on his shoulder. "I want to go back to the shed, not for just you but also for myself. I've been cooped up all day in my house which was why I came out to the park because I got super bored. So the answer is yes, it's perfectly alright if we go back to the shed again."

Akashi's eyes waivered a bit, a look Furihata couldn't place, before returning his gaze ahead of him with his head held high. "Alright, we can head there after you take your medication, eat, and retrieve your mask."

"H-How did you know I didn't have my mask with me? What if it was in my pocket?"

"I didn't know, I just assumed. Also if you had really brought it with you, you would've worn it because I know you don't see a reason to bring items if you have no use for them," Akashi smirked.

Furihata huffed. _He really can read minds..._ he thought. After getting home and doing what he needed under the watchful eyes of his friend, the two headed out to the train station.

Upon reaching the meadow, the flowers made it look more colorful than it did yesterday, as it was the middle of the afternoon instead of night. Instead of sitting on top the shed's roof, they sat on the grassy ground, which swayed from the light wind.

They stayed silent, Akashi staring emotionlessly at the forest while Furihata pulled grass on the ground. The brunette took a few glances at Akashi and noticed how his brows slightly furrowed and tightened his lips into a thin line. Something was definitely troubling him. Not standing the silence any further Furihata asked, "So...tell me what's wrong?" He spoke as gently as he could, he didn't want to seem to be the kind of person to barge into other people's personal problems, but someone that was willing to listen and understand if they chose not to talk.

Much to Furihata's relief and nervousness, Akashi turned his attention towards him. Despite being more comfortable with him, the stare was making him feel uneasy as he shifted his leg into a different position. A second later Akashi closed his eyes and sighed.

"It seems that I've let my guard down as you noticed just how troubled I am," he joked, earning a confused look from Furihata. "I assume Kuroko has told you some information about me yes?"

Furihata pondered for a bit and then snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, just before facing you and your team at the Winter cup Kuroko gave us some back story of all of you guys in middle school. Why? Did something happen? U-Unless you don't want to tell me then that's perfectly fine," he sputtered waving his hands.

Akashi shook his head. "No I think it would be best for me to tell someone...anyone." How long had it been since he was ever so open to someone? He pulled his legs closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. He felt weak, _vulnerable_ even, but his friend that was sitting next to him, a nonchalant smile on his face as he was doing something with the grass and flowers, put him at ease a little. Sighing again, he kept his attention out in front of him, pretending to be interested in the trees more. "A business partner of mine," he began, "is coming to visit and stay at my family's house next week."

Furihata looked up at him. _A business partner?_ He wanted to say but instead he said, "Go on..."

"And that business partner is someone I'll have to marry soon after I finish university."

Furihata coughed, making Akashi look at him. He was prepared to listen intently to whatever his friend had to say but that was just unexpected. "W-What? Don't you think that all this planning for marriage is a bit...too soon?"

"In the world of business it is not," Akashi informed. "It was the exact same for my parents." He bit his lip, debating if admitting all this was really the right thing to do. Turning his gaze back to the front, he hugged his knees tighter. "You see, all this is normal for my family and others. We are born into a wealthy family, have high expectations of when growing up, be assigned to a person from another business, have kids to be the next heir, become even more successful and when passing on the power gets passed down. It was all something that I came to accept many years ago because that is the way life just works, but now...now I question myself if I'm actually okay with this kind of life." It was strange to him. He'd never thought he would ask himself that kind of question. When did doubting one's life plans ever crossed his mind?

"Hey, Akashi could you look here for a moment?"

He listened, of course, and when he turned to look at the brunette he suddenly saw arms reach out and felt a weight land on top of his head before Furihata leaned back and grin. Bewildered, he lifted his hand and grabbed the mysterious object on his head and taking it off to examine it, he realized that it was a flower crown.

"I used to make these a lot with my dad," Furihata commented. "Don't get me wrong though I listened to every word you said of course! But usually when one of us is feeling down we talked about it while the other makes one of these." He pointed to the blue and yellow crown still resting on Akashi's palm, "It's supposed to cheer someone up."

Akashi's eyes widened. He felt heat rush to his face but before he even realized or did anything to hide it Furihata quickly whipped out his phone and snapped a photo of him. After taking in his friend's actions, his brows furrowed. "Delete that photo," he demanded.

Furihata looked around the field innocently, "I don't know what you're talking about." The quiver in lips proved so otherwise and that made Akashi's eyes narrow.

Instead of lacing his words with command and threat to make him listen, Akashi did an act that he never in his life thought he would do, and that was to tackle him. "Delete that photo, I know you took it," he repeated, though that didn't stop his lips growing into a playful smirk.

Furihata yelped at the sudden body contact that knocked him onto his back. Reacting quickly he clutched his phone harder and yanked it away from the direction of Akashi's hungry hands. He laughed, "I didn't take any pictures of you I swear!"

The two wrestled on the grass, one trying to grab while the other tried to avoid. It went on to the point that they felt out of breath to continue any longer and instead laid on their backs staring up at the bright sky, watching the clouds travel across by the wind.

Patting for a few more seconds Furihata turned his head to Akashi. "My mom is coming home soon so I think we should head back."

Akashi sat up immediately. "Of course, we wouldn't want her to worry."

They both lifted themselves up from the ground and dusted off their clothing. Furihata raised a brow at Akashi pulling the pants at the ends down but spoke nothing of it. He was about to turn and walk to the pathway but Akashi called him.

"Call me by my first name," he said so bluntly.

Furihata looked at him astounded before choking out his words, "W-What? I can't do that!"

Akashi's face remained expressionless until he smirked, "It's pronounced Sei-ju-ro."

"Of course I know that! It's just that it's embarrassing..." Furihata trailed off looking at the grass.

"Is my name embarrassing?"

Furihata snapped his head back up, eyes wide. "No!" He shouted before covering his mouth at his mistake, "I-I mean..." He looked anywhere around the field, avoiding the red gaze that made him shrink, "Only if you call me Kouki..." Looking back up he suddenly regretted what he said as Akashi's shoulders were slumped and stared at the ground.

"I can't," he hesitated, "I misused that privilege back when I wasn't myself, it wouldn't be right to do it again."

 _Oh._ Furihata stood there for a moment before stepping forward and grabbed Akashi's hands, holding them up between them. "That wasn't you and you know it. That was the past so it doesn't matter anymore. It's _okay_ ," he reassured, smiling.

Akashi eye's wavered, contemplating for a bit before sighing. "Alright, I'll call you by your first name if you do the same for me."

Furihata nodded his head in agreement and retracted his hands back to his side. "Fine with me," he gestured his body towards the path between the trees, "Let's go shall we?"

After taking the train, Furihata stepped out and turned back around. Akashi, still wearing the flower crown, stood staying inside the train as the doors closed, waving a hand as a goodbye and Furihata returned it as he watched the train speed away down the tracks.

Walking down the neighborhood street, he reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out. He flipped it opened and after pressing a few buttons, he grinned. Akashi's blushing face with a flower crown was so innocent that he looked like a different person. He decided to keep it as a memory and memento and only hoped that Akashi would forget about it. Putting his phone back, he blankly stared at the various houses down the street. Was he able to cheer Akashi up? Hearing about how his friend was in an arranged marriage felt heavy on his heart. It still boggled his mind that something like that was happening to Akashi. He was just glad that he had finished the flower crown in time because he had no idea how to respond to that. Perhaps one day he will be able to give his friend some important advice.

"Seijuro..." he whispered absently. It felt nice saying his first name. It wasn't embarrassing at all, and thinking about their time an hour ago left a warm feeling in his heart that he couldn't quite place, and it was a nice warmth that left him smiling as he walked home.

* * *

 **A/N:** Finally here's the new chapter! I apologize if it's a bit shorter this time!

Also after going over the first chapter it has come to my attention that perhaps it would be best if I edit the chapters. Though that will not happen until after I finish this story.

Thank you to those that have reviewed, followed, and favorited! It means the absolute world to me and I am sincerely grateful. Also after reading a comment from my deviantart asking me if I was still continuing this story to answer you, yes I am! And I am so sorry for the long wait...I hope this chapter was worth it at least.

Please leave a review as they help keep me motivated! So until next time peace out! :D


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